Envoy of the Gods
by bricann
Summary: Sequel to Secret of the Gods- It's been six months since the defeat of the Dark Signers and the Signers, including Jayla Sito as the new holder of the Mark of the Head, have been quite busy. Peace was flourishing and everything was doing great. Even new envoys have been chosen. But darkness is rising again. Can the Signers do it alone, or will they need help from someone familiar?
1. Return and Answers

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 1: Return and Answers

It had been a total of six months since the Dark Signers were defeated and Futen had returned to the Divine Realm. Luna had been able to get quite a few people in the city to believe in the gods and goddesses again. And it helped when she discovered her bracelet's ability to show people the deities and let them feel a god's or goddess' presence by touching the emblem gem.

At the moment, Luna was sitting in the living room of her apartment in the Tops. Leo was beside her watching duels on the television. She looked at Leo and noticed something on his wrist. "Leo, what's that on your wrist?" she asked her twin.

He looked at a bracelet. "Oh, this? I'm not sure. I woke up with it on this morning," he answered. The bracelet had a golden, six pointed star shaped gem with a white string holding it in place.

"That's the sign for the God Envoy chosen by God Izanagi himself," came a familiar voice to Luna. She turned with Leo to see a familiar god sitting on a chair by the table.

Luna stood up and walked to Yusei. "Am I just able to see your true form because I believe in gods like usual or because you're actually here?" she asked slowly.

"God Izanagi, the other gods, and I sense a powerful darkness and danger coming to this world again," Yusei answered worrying both twins. "Being the only god who truly knows this world, he gave me the power to be here as I was before I returned to the Divine Realm. However, my identity of Yusei Fudo still does not truly exist. All records of me are still non-existent."

"So, you're really, _actually_ here?" Leo asked.

"And everyone can see me," Yusei answered. "I am proud of you, Luna." She gave him a confused look. "You've been able to remind people that the gods are out there. You're making our power grow."

"I was only doing as I should and what was right," Luna responded. "I'm just happy I've been able to succeed. But you said God Izanagi chose Leo to be a second envoy?"

Leo walked up and asked, "Are you serious?"

"I am," Yusei answered. "God Izanagi has been watching you carefully. After seeing how well Luna has done and seeing that you've been helping her quite a bit, he thought you were worthy to help."

"Is he able to change it if he feels I'm not in reality?" Leo asked.

"No," Yusei answered. "A god or goddess can only choose one envoy in a lifetime. In other words, you two are going to be the envoys until you die. Once you die, we may choose again. But the likelihood of that is very slim. It is difficult and sometimes impossible to find a mortal being capable of becoming an envoy for the gods. I heard Amaterasu was thinking about Akiza. Though she was arguing with Kagutsuchi about which one of them should pick her. Kagutsuchi was obviously extremely reluctant of thinking as to who he wanted his envoy."

"Was he thinking of someone else?" Luna asked.

"He was thinking of Jack as well," Yusei answered. "Tsukiyomi was thinking of Crow. Of course, I don't think he'll pick that option."

"Why?" Leo asked.

"Tsukiyomi is God of the Moon and ruler of the Underworld," Yusei explained. "Signers represent the light and heavens. It isn't a match that I would see him picking."

"Hey, Yusei, why don't you come see the others again?" Luna suggested. "And meet Jayla. You know, the one who took your place."

"I'm… not sure," Yusei replied.

"Why?" Leo asked.

"It's one thing for you two to see me and listen to what I've been saying, being the envoys of the gods. But for people, even if they believe and were once my friends, to see me as my true self without needing to believe in gods, it could be hard for them," Yusei explained. "I don't want to put stress on them like that."

"Please, Yusei," Luna begged. "It doesn't feel right to just have me and Leo know that you're back."

Yusei sighed. "Alright," he agreed. He changed his outfit to the one recognized as what he wore before he left, without his marker, and returned to being a full god. They smiled and nodded.

They walked out of the Tops and began to walk down the street. "Hey, Yusei, I never got to ask," Luna began and he looked at her, "why am I the only one who remembers the things and you from before you returned to being a god?"

"The world wasn't really reset to Yusei Fudo not existing for a few days after I left. Izanagi and Izanami decided, after Amaterasu and I explained to them everything about you after what we saw, felt, and talked about, that you would be allowed to keep those memories. So if either Amaterasu or I decided to make you an envoy of the gods, you wouldn't be completely lost about the gods and be able to explain it to the others easier," Yusei explained.

"What about me? Will I ever get those memories back?" Leo asked.

"I don't think so. As far as I'm aware, the only time that a mortal could keep memories of a past timeline of a world is during the change of timelines," Yusei explained. "And since you weren't capable or allowed to keep those memories during the change, you probably won't get them back."

"Awww…" Leo sighed in sadness.

"It's alright, Leo," Luna responded. "At least, you're an envoy, too, now. Right?" He gave a small smile and nodded.

"I really hope I can live up to God Izanagi's expectations," Leo commented.

"I'm sure you will. Izanagi can actually see the future, so he would be able to tell if you could or couldn't," Yusei responded. "And if he chose you as an envoy, he thinks you can. You have to keep in mind, gods and goddesses don't take their choosing of an envoy lightly. That's why you don't find many around or hear of the gods picking many people."

"Huh," was all Leo responded with.

They stopped at the garage entrance and Luna noticed Yusei's hesitance. "I'm sure it'll be alright," she reassured.

"I know, Luna," Yusei responded with a soft grin.

She pushed the door open and Leo walked in followed by Luna. "Hey, guys," greeted Crow.

"Hey, Crow," Luna greeted back.

"What brings you here all of a sudden?" Jayla asked.

"Uh, we kind of wanted to show you someone we found," Luna answered.

"Who?" Jack asked. Yusei slowly stepped in and they looked at him shocked. "You're that god that chose Luna to be the envoy of the gods! Futen, right?" Yusei nodded.

"How are you here?" Jayla asked.

"Or better yet, why?" Jack added.

"God Izanagi, the other gods, and I sense a powerful darkness and danger coming to this world again," Yusei began shocking and worrying the three. "Being the only god who truly knows this world and how to interact with it, Izanagi gave me the power to be here as I was before I returned to the Divine Realm. However, my old identity still does not truly exist and all records of that identity are still non-existent."

"What was your old identity as a mortal again?" Jayla asked.

"Yusei Fudo," Futen answered.

Crow looked at Leo for a moment and noticed his bracelet. "Hey, Leo, what's the bracelet?" he asked the boy.

"Oh, I got this before I woke up this morning," he answered.

"Izanagi chose Leo to be his chosen envoy of the gods," Yusei answered shocking them.

"You're kidding, right?" Jayla responded.

"Not in the slightest," Yusei replied.

"How many envoys are out there? Have others gods and goddesses chosen envoys?" Jack asked.

"There are very few envoys. Suijin, the god of water, chosen a person in America. Sarutahiko, the kami of the Earth, chose one is the plains of Africa. Other than those two, there is only Leo and Luna. It may seem a little number of envoys as it is, but there are just under 800 gods and goddesses total. So just four envoys seems like a grain of sand in all reality," Yusei explained.

"Why do most gods and goddesses not have envoys?" Jack asked. "Wouldn't it be important to have one?"

"We can only choose one envoy per lifetime," Yusei explained. "And we cannot take back who we choose. In other words, until Luna and Leo die, they will be envoys and Izanagi and I cannot take back our choices."

"Isn't that a lot of responsibility to put on kids their age?" Crow asked.

"Perhaps," Yusei answered. "But we wouldn't have chosen them if we didn't think they were ready."

"Can we back up a second?" Jayla called. "You mentioned that you and the other deities sensed a darkness and danger coming to this world again that made Izanagi send you back here. What are you talking about?"

"I'm not sure what this darkness is going to be formed as or what danger it'll bring. Even Izanagi doesn't. His future sight is blocked to this darkness which is very unusual," Futen explained. "If the darkness is strong enough to block Izanagi's sight, it is too powerful to let mortals deal with alone. It is too risky."

"What? You don't trust us or mortals to take care of our own problems?" Jack asked.

"It's not that. I'm not here to interfere with how you will stop it. I am only here to _help_ you stop it. If you could actually sense this darkness like I can that is growing by the second, you would probably would want some help," Yusei replied. "How you stop this darkness is up to you. But my job is to make sure none of you get seriously hurt along the way."

"Why do you think we'll need help?" Crow asked seeming tense and annoyed.

"It wasn't my initial idea to come and help you, nor was it Izanagi's," Yusei answered shocking. "Gods don't interfere with matters dealt with mortals unless absolutely necessary. The one who asked for me to help keep you safe wasn't Izanagi, Amaterasu, or any of the deities that have a typically human form."

"Are you saying…?" Crow trailed off in realization.

Yusei nodded. "The Crimson Dragon asked me to help you," he stated shocking all them.

"What about the Crimson Dragon?" came Akiza's voice. She walked in and immediately noticed Yusei. "You're Futen, right?" He nodded. "What's going on?" Yusei immediately filled her in on everything and she seemed shocked. "Speaking of gods and goddesses, this suddenly appeared and attached to my wrist this morning when the sun rose. I can't get it off either." She showed a bracelet on her wrist with a sun charm.

"Looks like Amaterasu won that argument," Yusei commented with an amused grin while looking down.

"Huh?" Akiza questioned.

"Just as Leo and Luna have bracelets with a symbolized gem, that's what that is. Leo's is God Izanagi's symbol. Luna's is mine. The sun is Goddess Amaterasu's symbol. She is the Goddess of the Sun, after all," Yusei explained. "She and Kagutsuchi, the god of fire, were both wanting to choose you as their envoy." He gave a soft, amused scoff. "They argued about it for some time. Looks like they finally settled it."

"Think we're going to get chosen to be an envoy?" Crow asked.

"I'm not sure about Jayla. I know Kagutsuchi was also thinking of Jack. And though I doubt he'll actually pick you, Crow, Tsukiyomi was thinking of you," Yusei answered.

"Why wouldn't he pick Crow?" Jayla asked.

"Tsukiyomi is the god of the moon and ruler of the Underworld," Yusei explained. "The Signers represent the light and heavens. I'm not sure Tsukiyomi would actually choose a Signer because of what they represent. After all, Amaterasu stands by the light and heavens."

"Do they not get along?" Leo asked.

"No, not by a long shot," Yusei answered. "Long before people first came about living through agriculture and herding, the sun and the moon would rise and fall at the same time, they shared the sky." They went wide eyed. "However, at one point, Tsukiyomi was eating with another goddess as she made food for him. When he found out exactly how she made the food, he became outraged and killed her."

"Are you serious?!" Leo asked.

Yusei nodded. "That violent act severely offended Amaterasu, who is his sister. She ordered Tsukiyomi to remove himself from her sight. As such, the sun and moon rose and set separately, keeping each other far apart," he continued. "They don't talk at all and every time they cross paths, if they ever do, well, just stay clear of them."

"And considering Crow represents the heavens as a Signer, it would make sense that Tsukiyomi would stay clear of him," Jayla commented.

"Exactly. It's the reason I doubt Tsukiyomi would choose him," Yusei responded.

"When would they choose?" Jack asked.

"Each deity have their own way of placing the bracelet on the envoy's wrist. Leo's was during the night when he was sleeping. Luna's, I gave her by using the wind. Amaterasu gives it when the sun rises and on the first wrist that touches the sun's light. If you were chosen by Kagutsuchi, Jack, you would probably get a burn since, being the god of fire, he uses fire and wraps it around your wrist before the fire dissipates to leave the bracelet. Tsukiyomi would set his mark on the first wrist that hits moonlight," Yusei explained. "Suijin, the first wrist that touches water on the day or night he chooses to put his mark on that person. Sarutahiko, the kami of the Earth, does so by launching rocks at the wrist and the dust from the rocks then form the bracelet."

"Uh, are the other gods and goddesses as painful as Kagutsuchi or Sarutahiko?" Crow asked.

"No," Yusei answered. "There are a few that are yes. But not all. If Raijin, the god of thunder and lightning, chooses you, when you walk by something electrical, it will send a lightning bolt at your wrist and imprint the bracelet there. The imprint would then transfer into an actual bracelet. But Kukunochi-No-Kami, the god of trees, will mark the ones he chooses by using a tree and grabbing them by the wrist with a branch. He makes sure the branch has a lot of leaves so it doesn't hurt the mortal. We are careful with our envoys. We don't like hurting them, especially when we first choose them. That's why we try to make sure, if they do or would get a bit hurt, it's just a small burn or scratch."

"God stuff is so weird," Leo muttered.

Yusei grinned. "It would be to many. It's just not to those who are deities because we were born and raised as gods," he stated.

"How are gods created?" Akiza asked.

"You mean how _were_ gods created. There aren't any more being made since we have enough as it is," Yusei replied. "But we became reality by other gods and goddesses, starting out with Izanagi and Izanami. They were our first creators and brought Amaterasu, Tsukiyomi, Suijin, Susano-O, and I up as one of the first and as the eldest. After that and this world, our final and most recent world to be given life to, was created, Izanagi and Izanami went to creating more gods and goddesses. However, one day Kagutsuchi burned Izanami during childbirth and killed her. She went to Yomi, or the Underworld, and, as she was a goddess still, because the goddess of creation and death. In fact, it wasn't until after Izanami died from the heavens and went to the Underworld that Amasterasu, Tsukiyomi, and Susano-O were born."

"Huh?" Luna questioned. "How's that?"

"When Izanami died, Izanagi went to find her and retrieve her. Despite her wishes when he got to Yomi, he lit a torch and looked at her. She didn't look…" he paused as if seeming for a better way to put it, "alive as when he last saw her. He ran in fear, shock, and horror. In her rage that Izanagi didn't respect her wishes, she sent hideous female spirits, eight thunder gods, and an army of fierce warriors to chase him. Izanagi managed to escape and blocked the pass between Yomi and the land of the living with a huge boulder. Izanami met him there, and they broke off their marriage. Izanagi felt unclean because of his contact with the dead, and he took a bath to purify himself. A number of gods and goddesses, both good and evil, emerged from his discarded clothing as Izanagi bathed. Amaterasu appeared from his left eye, Tsukiyomi appeared from his right eye, and Susano-O came from his nose. With all the deities, including myself, we created the universe to harbor life. But after the incident between Izanagi and Izanami, the other gods and goddesses had to use their gifts to create the gods and goddesses there are today. But almost every bit of life is covered by each deity now, so there's no reason to make anymore."

"Did you help create gods, Yusei- Or Futen or whatever you call yourself?" Crow asked.

"You can call me Yusei or whatever you want. As for your question, not in the way humans do. For instance, a long time ago, Susano-O and Amaterasu got into a massive fight. It resulted in Amaterasu hiding in a cave blocked off by a boulder. Due to her hiding, the sun disappeared and for many, many years the sun did not shine," Yusei explained. "Before the final move that made Amaterasu hide, though, Susano-O came to Amaterasu looking for her wisdom and warmth to prepare him for going to the Underworld in search of Izanami. When she questioned Susano-O intentions, he suggested they create gods from their power. Amaterasu used Susano-O sword and split it into three pieces and chewed on those pieces for days and nights until they were only powder. She then spit the powder to the wind and three goddesses appeared from those remnants. Susano-O had taken five jewels from Amaterasu and made five gods by doing a similar ritual. The way a god or goddess creates another from their power varies between the two god and goddess."

"If Izanami and Izanagi had been married for thousands of years, are other gods together with other gods?" Jayla asked.

"Not many. And those who are are typically from arranged marriages," Yusei answered. "Amaterasu and I one of them."

"You're married to the goddess of the sun?!" Crow exclaimed.

"Isn't that what I just said?" Yusei replied with a bored tone.

"Still, it's a bit shocking," Crow responded.

Yusei sighed. "It would be to some," he stated. "Especially if you don't understand the customs of the gods." He then noticed a ruined duel runner behind the group of three Signers. "I see you were trying to make a new duel runner."

"What do you know about duel runners?" Jack asked.

"Before I returned to the Divine Realm and Jayla took my place as a Signer and your childhood friend, I was in the same placement as you and I had made my own duel runner while I was trapped in the mortal world," Yusei explained. "I basically did the events similar to Jayla only as Yusei Fudo."

"Did you have the same deck as her?" Akiza asked.

"Yep," Yusei answered. Jayla gave a shocked look. "But I don't need it anymore. It's your deck now. Those cards will respond to you and you alone."

"If you did the exact same thing as Jayla, why don't you have a marker?" Crow asked.

"When I became a god again, my marker was taken off of me," Yusei explained. "Don't ask how or why, it just happened." He sighed.

"Are you sure you don't know what this darkness is?" Jayla asked.

"I don't. Even if I did, there would be some things that can and cannot be said," Yusei responded. "But no, I do not know what the darkness is."

"I'm not too convinced," Jack stated. Yusei rolled his eyes in boredom. "What? Expected me to say that."

"Just seemed like something you would say," Yusei responded. "Even after timelines switched to where Yusei Fudo never survived Zero Reverse, you're still the same as ever."

"Have any of us changed a bit since the other timeline?" Luna asked.

"Not really," Yusei answered. "Mainly just Luna, but then again, she became an envoy before all of you."

They were about to continued when Trudge and Mina walked in. "Hey, Trudge, Mina," Jayla greeted.

"See that one god finally showed his face for once since we first saw him," Trudge commented looking at Yusei.

"This is Yusei, or better known as God Futen," Luna introduced.

"So you're really the guy who was in place of Jayla from the previous timeline," Trudge responded. "Did I hate you back before the Dark Signers like I did Jayla too, or…?"

"Until the Dark Signers, you didn't really have much respect for me as the identity of Yusei Fudo. It really wasn't until after Jack told you that Yusei Fudo wasn't a Satellite native that you actually began to respect me," Yusei replied.

"Who was the real Yusei Fudo?" Jayla asked. "Was he the son of Professor Fudo who was my father and mother's friend?"

"Yes," Yusei answered. "Originally, before I was forced into his body and brought him back to life in a way, he had died the day of Zero Reverse during the explosion with his father. But I was thrown into his body and became the Yusei Fudo you knew during that timeline." He looked at Trudge and Mina. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what're you doing here exactly? Knowing you, you wouldn't come here for any small matter."

"You really do know us, huh?" Mina responded. Yusei nodded.

Trudge scoffed with an amused smirk. He turned to Jack, Crow, and Jayla. "Have you guys heard rumors about the Ghost?" he asked.

"I've heard the rumors. They say he's this guy who forces people on the highway into duels and causes them to crash when they lose," Crow responded.

"With the tournament's new rules, people will be using Speed World 2 instead of the standard Speed World," Trudge said. "I want you, Jack, and Jayla's help to capture the Ghost."

"No! No! No!" Crow exclaimed rushing Mina and Trudge out the door. "We have too much to do to get ready for the tournament. Sorry but we can't." He shut the door behind them and locked it.

"Crow, that may have been a bad idea," Yusei told him.

"They can handle it," he responded.

"Maybe, maybe not," he responded vaguely.

"What do you know, Yusei?" Jayla asked.

"When we first started sensing the darkness, Izanagi and I watched New Domino as it was where the darkness was centered at. We began to find the Ghost hurting many other duelists. I would've gone down to help, but at the time, I had to stay in the Divine Realm and keep things normal and safe," he explained. "I would've helped them. I understand that the World Racing Grand Prix is an important event to you and it may even end up becoming an important event to this dark power coming, but if you've seen what I've seen, Trudge and Mina may get seriously hurt going after the Ghost."

"They'll be fine. Or do you not trust them to take care of their own job?" Jack asked.

"It's not that I don't trust them. But if they felt they would be fine and able to do this themselves, would they really ask for your help?" Yusei replied and they all paused. "Like I said, I am merely here to help you protect this world and I cannot decide nor force you as to what you choose to do in order to stop this darkness. Your path is something you must decide, but as Signers, the moves you make need to be chosen carefully."

"Why is it so much more important for Signers?" Luna asked.

"Every mortal is a small thread in the fabric of the universe. Most mortals have small threads that cannot and do not make much change in how the universe will end up. However, there are some, like the Signers, whose threads are much larger and actions can start to swing the balance on how the universe will go. That's why the Dark Signers were so bent on destroying the Signers. If the Signers, ones whose threads weave the path of light through the universe fall, those threads would fall as well and darkness would grow stronger through the universe as the Dark Signers are also large threads in the universe," Yusei explained. "There are other planets with similar mortals. And Signers who are also envoys have a much larger thread to be made. And being a god, I can see where each thread begins and ends."

"You can?" Leo questioned. "So you can see how we die and everything?"

"Every event that has been and will be," Yusei answered. "Unlike Izanagi, I have to be at the Room of Threads in the Divine Realm in order to see the future events of mortals."

"Room of Threads?" Akiza repeated.

"It is a room that a deity can enter and see a specific thread of a mortal's life of who we choose we want to see," Yusei answered.

"So we do have a predetermined fate?" Jayla asked.

"Yes and no," Yusei answered confusing them. "Every mortal is born with a specific beginning steps of how their life will lead. But as they grow older, their actions may end up shaping their fates to another course and end route. For instance, the original Yusei Fudo was born to die on the day of Zero Reverse. But when I took his place, his destiny for that timeline switched to what actions I took during that timeline."

"What about when it switched to the timeline now?" Jayla asked. "And was I even alive in that past timeline?"

"When it switched to this timeline, the original life of that Yusei Fudo returned to as it was made initially. As for you, Jayla, you did live back in the past timeline. But back then, you were raised by your grandmother in Satellite who was friends with Martha and never left Satellite or knew Jack, Crow, Kalin, or Yusei. You lived quite an unassuming life. Then, when I took my place back as God Futen and the god of wind and the timeline switched to now, that life left you. For some reason, your thread was changed completely. Your family that lived in Satellite died and you lived with Martha along with Jack and Crow. And you met Kalin and became part of the Enforces. The quiet Jayla of the past had changed and took on the life that I had as Yusei Fudo."

"Are you serious?!" Crow exclaimed.

"Of course, with the need of someone new to take my place for that timeline, it was to be expected that someone like Jayla, someone quiet and did not have much of a true life ahead of themselves, would become my replacement," Yusei replied. "Of course, as I watched you, I saw it was a better choice for your friend than I was. Being someone who had to hide everything true about themselves for most of your lives, I wasn't the number one choice you would probably have of a friend."

"Yusei, don't say that!" Luna responded. He looked at her. "Just because you hid you were a god from us back then, it doesn't mean you weren't a good friend. Back then, none of us wanted you to leave, remember? None of us were ready to have you leave and without any recollection of you."

"Is there any way for us to see that timeline, Yusei?" Akiza asked. "So we know what happened back in the original timeline with you."

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't do that," he answered.

"Oh, yeah? Why not?" Crow asked.

"Showing you events from another timeline is forbidden among the gods. After what has happened on other worlds…" he explained, muttering the last part.

"And what happened on other worlds?" Jack asked.

"A couple times on other worlds, where a god got trapped on that planet, a timeline change was forced to happen. As a result, those the gods and goddesses had gotten close to and met again wanted to remember them as they did before. When they showed them, they became believing they were a dominate being, able to see into another timeline and went to many lengths to prove they are a stronger mortal of their species. Most of the time, it ended in many deaths, including that mortal," Yusei explained shocking them. "As such, it was made forbidden for mortals to remember things of other timelines."

"Then why was Luna allowed?" Jayla asked.

"Because Izanagi, Amaterasu, the rest of the deities, and I agreed by looking at her thread for both timelines and testing our theory by adding the possibility of her remembrance of it to the thread that she was to be allowed to remember that timeline. Especially since we felt that if anyone could be a perfect envoy, it would be her," Yusei explained. "With our confidence in place, we allowed it. It was reluctant, but we allowed it."

"What about the rest of us? Did you even think about us?" Crow asked.

"We did and also tested it. But we found reasons that would make us too uncertain to allow it," Yusei answered. "You wouldn't have become overly power hungry and kill others, and each of you had your own outcomes, but Luna was the only one we found would be okay to leave the memories of the past timeline in."

"What would happen to the rest of us?" Akiza asked.

"That is something else I cannot say," he answered frustrating them a bit.

"Is there anything you can say?" Crow asked.

"I've said quite a bit. Perhaps too much," Yusei replied. "I may be able to reveal more as time goes on, but now is not that time."

"Well, I have to go finish a delivery. We can discuss this when I get back," Crow stated boarding his duel runner. "I'll see you later." He then drove off.

Luna invited Yusei to stay at their place for now which he reluctantly accepted. Akiza had to go get back to her parents to eat dinner. Jayla went back to working on the duel runner again and Jack went to the café. But Yusei knew what was happening and soon.


	2. Ghost Duelist

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 2: Ghost Duelist

Yusei was sitting on the couch in meditation, trying to find out what the feeling of worry was coming over him was about. That's when he saw it. He set a note on the table for Leo and Luna before flying out to get to what he saw.

He flew around the highways and quickly found Trudge who had crashed. He immediately landed next to the officer. I kneeled next to Trudge and felt for a pulse. Yusei took a deep breath before using the wind to pick him up and it swirled around him while glowing.

"Yusei!" Mina called. I looked at her. "What are you doing?"

"Helping him," Yusei answered. When he did all he could, he gently laid Trudge back on the ground who seemed in a lot better condition that before.

"What happened? Did you see?" Mina asked.

"Sorry, Mina. I came as soon as I saw a vision of him crashing while I was meditating. I didn't get here in time to see anything," he explained.

Crow came driving up and they looked at him. "Did you see anything, Crow?" Mina asked.

"I only saw you two pulling up," he answered. Crow looked at Yusei. "Will he be alright?"

Yusei looked back at Trudge and laid a hand on his heart, closing his eyes. "He still has a bit of internal bruising, but I've healed all of his other damages which were broken bones and other things that would've proved fatal," he answered.

"You saved his life?" Mina asked.

"Was he meant to die that way? You know, says his thread or whatever?" Crow asked.

"No, he wasn't. He was meant to live a much longer life, even without my interference. However, if I had not helped him here, he wouldn't have made it," Yusei replied. "The darkness is proving to be much more dangerous if it can twist and change events of which a mortal should originally play."

"Why would you save him?" Mina asked. "If he didn't respect you for most of the time you knew him…"

"Just because he didn't respect me and only got along for a short time, it doesn't mean I don't consider him a friend that I once had. And he has important roles to play in future events," Yusei explained. "Besides, I shouldn't let a mortal, who isn't supposed to die yet, die."

"I see," Mina responded.

"You should probably get him checked out by a doctor to ensure he will be alright," Yusei told her as an ambulance pulled up. Mina nodded and helped the medics get Trudge to the hospital. "Crow, you go with them."

"Where are you going?" Crow asked.

"Search around the highways for the Ghost," Yusei answered. "I can't duel him. But I can figure out what he is and what he's after." Before Crow could even respond, Futen took off.

. . .

Jayla and Jack were quick to reach the hospital and met Crow and Mina who were already there. Trudge was wheeled passed them but Trudge called the paramedics to stop so he could talk to Jayla.

"Jayla… don't use synchro monsters against the Ghost," he warned. He was then taken into an operating room.

"What happened?" Jayla asked the others.

"Trudge fought the Ghost," Mina explained. "We don't know anything else."

"I just saw Sector Security when they got to Trudge," Crow added.

"But Yusei, or God Futen, did save his life," Mina added.

"He did?" Jayla asked.

Mina nodded. "Trudge was in much worse shape when Security first arrived. Yusei quickly landed and used some power to heal Trudge. According to him, Trudge would've died before he should without his help."

"And Yusei also said that whatever this darkness that him and the deities were feeling is, it has the ability to change events that are supposed to happen to a mortal's life," Crow added. They looked at him shocked. "So it's a lot more powerful than him or any of us realize."

"Where's Yusei now?" Jack asked.

"He said he was going to search around the highways to get an idea as to what the Ghost is and what he's after," Mina answered. "Don't worry, though. Sector Security will keep an eye out. You guys stay safe."

"Right," Jayla agreed and they left.

They reached their basement where Crow slammed his fists off the wall in annoyance with what the Ghost did to Trudge.

"Stop whining, Crow," Jayla told him and chucked him his helmet. Crow and Jack grinned at each other before they took off to find the Ghost. They then split up at the highway to cover more ground.

As the night got longer, Jayla was quickly met with the Ghost. She did take notice of Futen watching her high in the air. But, she immediately contacted the other two Signers and activated Speed World 2. The road became a duel lane and the duel began.

"I'll go first. I summon Wise Core (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack mode. I then set one card face down and end my turn," Ghost played.

"I summon Max Warrior (Attack 1800/ Defense 800)," Jayla declared. "Max Warrior, attack Wise Core! And due to Max Warrior's effect, it gains 400 attack points (Max Warrior: Attack 2200)."

"I activate Labyrinth of Kline! This reduces the battle damage to zero and prevents Wise Core's destructions. Also, your monsters attack and defense are switched until next turn's end phase," Ghost defended. And due to it being the end of the damage step, Max Warrior's attack dropped to 800.

"I summon Turbo Booster (Attack 0/ Defense 0) and use its effect. By releasing it, I can destroy your Wise Core," Jayla retorted.

Ghost laughed. "You just brought your own defeat! When Wise Core is destroyed by card effect, I can special summon Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity (Attack 0/ Defense 0), Wisel Top (Attack 500/ Defense 0), Wisel Attack (Attack 1200/ 0), Wisel Guard (Attack 0/ Defense 1200), and Wisel Carrier (Attack 800/ Defense 600)! And now I'll combine them to create the monster of your defeat. Meklord Emperor Wisel (Attack 2500/ Defense 0)!" he fought.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," the female Signer finished.

Ghost drew his card to begin his turn. "Meklord Emperor Wisel, attack Max Warrior!" he ordered.

"I activate Shock Reborn!" Jayla defended. "This halves the battle damage." Max Warrior was destroyed and her life points fell to 3150. "And then I use its other effect to revive Turbo Booster. "

"I set one face down and end my turn," Ghost finished, snickering.

Jayla drew her card. "I activate the Speed Spell- Angel Baton! By sending Gauntlet Warrior to the graveyard, I can draw two cards," she declared. "Next I summon Debris Dragon (Attack 1000/ Defense 2000). Next I activate Debris Dragon's effect to revive Gauntlet Warrior! Now I tune Turbo Booster, Gauntlet Warrior, and Debris Dragon to synchro summon. Take flight, Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)!" Stardust subtly looked at Yusei with longing and happy eyes with giving a barely audible, greeting grunt.

' _She really does duel just like me,'_ Yusei thought with a smirk from his point in the air.

"Next I activate Meteor Wave! This raises Stardust Dragon's attack by 300 (Stardust Dragon: Attack 2800) and it can also inflict piercing battle damage. Stardust Dragon, attack Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity!" Jayla continued.

"I activate Wisel Guard's effect to make it the attack target instead," Ghost defended. Meklord Emperor Wisel's arm was blown off by the assault, but due to Meteor Wave's second effect, the Ghost still took damage lowering his life points to 2400.

"I end my turn with one face down," Jayla finished. Meanwhile Meteor's effect expired, lowering Stardust's attack back to 2500.

The Ghost looked up Jayla's information on his duel runner's monitor and noticed she had defeated Goodwin. _'Jayla is still clueless,'_ he thought laughing a bit. He drew his card to start his turn. "I summon Wisel Guard 3 (Attack 0/ Defense 2000)," he declared, replacing Meklord Emperor Wisel's missing arm. Ghost laughed and Yusei noticed Jack and Crow watching on the highway on the other side. "Meklord Emperor Wisel is invincible!"

' _I should be able to beat it if I can take out all the components at once,'_ Jayla thought. She then asked the Ghost, "Why are you targeting duel runners?"

"It is my purpose," Ghost replied, confusing Yusei a bit. "I am the Synchro Killer and this is why. I activate Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity's effect! This allows me to equip my Emperor with your Stardust Dragon!"

"Stardust!" Jayla called as Meklord Emperor Wisel fired a number of energy beams, which strapped themselves to her dragon. Stardust struggled but was sucked into the machine. _'This is what Trudge meant when he warned me about using synchro monsters against the Ghost,'_ she thought.

"And now Meklord Emperor Wisel's attack increases by your dragon's attack (Meklord Emperor Wisel: Attack 5000)!" Ghost called. "Meklord Emperor Wisel, attack Yusei directly!"

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! This negates your attack and allows me to reset it," Jayla defended herself.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," Ghost finished.

Jayla drew her card and began her turn, "I summon Bicular (Attack 200/ Defense 200) in defense mode and set a face down to end my turn."

Ghost drew and called, "I activate Wise A3! This allows me to special summon Wisel Attack 3 (Attack 1600/ Defense 0) in replace of my Wisel Attack. And due to its effect, Meklord Emperor Wisel can inflict damage. Meklord Emperor Wisel, attack Bicular!"

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Yusei played.

"I activate my face down, Battle Return!" Ghost intervened. "By halving Meklord Emperor Wisel's attack (Meklord Emperor Wisel: Attack 2700), it can attack again." It attacked again and took out her monster, causing Jayla to struggle to maintain control of her runner. Yusei immediately used the wind to help her regain balance. She looked at him shocked for a moment, but the Ghost continued bringing her back to the situation at hand, "And then I activate Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity's effect which inflicts damage to you equal to your Stardust Dragon's attack." Jayla's life points fell to 650.

"I activate Bicular's effect. When it's destroyed, I can special summon Unicycular (Attack 100/ Defense 100) in attack mode," she declared.

"And now we're at the end phase, meaning my Emperor's attack returns to a full 5400 attack points," Ghost reminded. "And then I activate Trap Recycle! By sending my Slip Summon from my hand to the graveyard, I can add battle return to my hand but I can't set it this turn. I end my turn there."

Jayla began her turn. "I activate Speed World 2's effect. By removing 7 speed counters, I can draw a card," she declared. She began to concentrate and her mark of the dragon began to glow. On the opposite side of the field, Jack and Crow were watching and noticed theirs light up as well. Then the marks all disappeared before returning to form the complete mark on Jayla's back. Her deck glowed and she drew her card. She looked at it. "First I summon, Majestic Dragon (Attack 0/ Defense 0)! Next I activate Synchro Material! This returns Stardust Dragon to my side of the field. And let's not forget, because Stardust Dragon returned to my field, your Emperor's attack loses its power boost it gained from Stardust Dragon (Meklord Emperor Wisel: Attack 2900). Now I tune Majestic Dragon with Stardust Dragon and Unicycular! I synchro summon, the Majestic Star Dragon (Attack 3800/ Defense 3000)!"

Yusei looked at the dragon and thought, _'Even if it is a different timeline, you never change, do you?'_ It looked at him and, similar to Stardust Dragon, gave a longing and happy grunt, quiet enough so the other two wouldn't hear or notice. Yusei grinned back before he return his attention to the duel.

"I activate Majestic Star Dragon's effect. An effect negates the effects of Wisel Guard 3 and grants them to Majestic Star Dragon until the end phase. Majestic Star Dragon, attack Wisel Top and end this!" Jayla ordered. Wisel Top was destroyed and Ghost's life point dropped to 0. The Ghost's runner strayed off course and plummeted off the bridge and exploded on the ground beneath them.

. . .

Down below in a woodland area where the Ghost had crashed, a man walked over to the charred duel runner. He removed a part from the duel runner, containing the deck. He looked at Majestic Star Dragon and thought, _'Jayla must be responsible for this. As well as a legendary god that we need.'_ He then left with that.

After the man had left, Jayla, Yusei, Jack, and Crow arrived at the scene. Crow touched the Ghost but jumped back in alarm as his robotic arm fell off.

"The Ghost was just a robot," Yusei realized. "No doubt, just the beginning of what is coming."

Jayla walked over to the duel runner and grabbed the CPU chip from it. "Maybe this will give us a clue as to what's going on."

Back at the garage, Trudge, who had recovered from his encounter with the Ghost, Mina, Luna, Leo, Akiza, Jack, Crow, Jayla, and Yusei gathered around a table inspecting the photos Trudge had.

"The Ghost was a duelbot," Trudge told them.

"What's a duelbot?" Leo asked.

"It's a robot that was designed to do jobs on the highway that human Security couldn't. They were decommissioned a while ago," Mina explained. "Someone must've taken this one and reprogrammed it."

"But who?" Akiza asked.

Jayla handed Trudge the CPU chip from the Ghost's duel runner and informed the officer, "The chip was programmed to erase all its data when it lost. Probably to avoid any tracing to the maker of it."

"How did you gain access to the CPU so easily?" Trudge asked surprised.

"It was easy for Jayla," Crow replied. "She's better than Security."

Yusei, however, thought, _'We're about to face a new dangerous threat. And something that is linked to a darkness with quite the power. This may not end as well as we'd like.'_


	3. Teacher's Lesson

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 3: Teacher's Lesson

Yusei drifted through the air, watching Leo and Luna for safety after the Ghost and finding out how strong the dark power really is. He looked down at the two. Luna, Leo, and their friends, Dexter, Patty, and Bob, were walking back from school.

"Hey, can we come over to Jayla's too?" Patty asked. Yusei had been watching Jayla and the others carefully and the young children had come over quite a bit to hang out at Jayla, Jack, and Crow's apartment.

"Sure, we're all going," Leo replied to the question.

' _Oh, Leo,'_ Futen thought.

"I'm not sure. Is going to Jayla's place every day to play a bad idea?" Luna asked.

"It's fine," Leo assured.

Yusei hovered in the air as he watched their fellow classmate, Sly, walk passed them and Luna call to the young boy, "Hey, Sly, are you heading home alone?" He just shrugged. "Why don't you hang out with us?"

"No thanks," he replied bluntly.

"Oh, alright," Luna agreed. "We'll see you around then, right?" He shrugged again.

' _Not very respectful of friends, is he?'_ the god of wind thought, more saddened and disappointed than anything else.

Leo, Luna, and their friends walked away with Bob stating, "I can't wait to meet Jayla."

Yusei looked at Sly and listened to his thoughts, even though he didn't tell his friends he had that ability, _'Maybe it would be interesting to meet Jayla Sito.'_ He then began to follow the others.

After a bit, Yusei landed and came out and met Leo and Luna, greeting, "Hey, Leo, Luna."

"Hey, Yusei!" Luna greeted back.

"Uh, who are you?" Dexter asked. "Never seen you around before?"

"His name's Yusei Fudo," Luna answered. "He's a good friend of mine, Leo, and the rest of them."

"Fudo? Isn't that the name of a Japanese god of Astrology **(A/N: Now before you all call "Bullshit!" on this, I will tell you I looked it up and found this. There is a Japanese god called Fudo who, on most websites, say he is the God of Astrology and the God of Fire and Wisdom. Fudo is an actual Japanese God and is also a Buddhist figure as well. Want proof? PM me and I'll send you a link to the sight I first discovered this on)**?" Dexter asked. Yusei nodded.

"How do you know them? I don't think I've ever seen you around," Bob asked.

"It's a long complicated story," Yusei replied. "I can explain it to you another time. Or Luna could eventually. It is her job to talk about things like it."

"Does it have to do with that bracelet she and Leo are wearing that appeared out of nowhere and they never take off?" Patty asked.

"Yeah," Yusei answered. "Anyway, if you go to Jayla and the others' place, be warned they are working on the engine. So be careful."

"Hey, Luna, Leo, mind telling us about this guy?" Dexter asked with a prodding face.

"Uh, later," Leo answered.

"Oh come on, please," Patty begged.

"It's complicated, guys. It'll take a while to explain everything," Luna responded. "Let's just get to Jayla's place."

Leo, Luna, and the others continued their walk to the garage, the others bugging Leo, Luna, and Yusei as to find out who exactly Yusei was. Eventually, Leo and Luna were forced to give in and Luna said, "Alright. It's just really long." She took a deep breath. "To start, this isn't the first timeline we've been in."

"Huh?!" Bob exclaimed.

"What?!" Dexter followed.

"What does that mean?!" Patty asked.

"She means that I'm not human and before I returned to where I am meant to be, I was a person named Yusei Fudo and Jayla Sito's position as to what you know her now as was where my identity as Yusei Fudo was in the timeline previous to this one. When I returned, the timeline changed so that everyone but Luna forgot about Yusei Fudo's position in that timeline and Jayla Sito took his place," Yusei replied for Luna.

"You're kidding!" Bob responded.

"He's not," Luna answered. "His real name is Futen. He's the God of Wind."

"God of Wind?!" Patty exclaimed. Yusei nodded. He held his hand to the side and a strong wind blew against them until he took his hand down.

"To think, we're actually talking to a god!" Dexter responded. "So where do gods live exactly?"

"Most of us live in the Divine Realm where we watch over all worlds and keep the universe intact," Yusei answered. "However, there are a couple named Amaterasu who is the goddess of the sun and rules the heavens and lives there and Tsukiyomi who is the god of the moon and rules the Underworld and lives there. They sometimes come to the Divine Realm for a bit, but they tend to stay well clear of each other."

"Why?" Patty asked.

"Let's just say, they don't get along," Yusei answered.

"Uh, God Futen, do the gods do anything with a person's fate?" Dexter asked.

"No," Yusei answered. "The gods and goddesses leave the path of your fate up to the universe's first choice and then to the mortals to see how their fates will end up. Just because you initially start with one fate, it can change as you grow."

"So, the universe chooses how we live first? Is it alive or something?" Bob asked.

"Yes and somewhat," Yusei replied. "When you are first born, you become a thread in the fabric of the universe with events that describe how your life is initially planned out. However, as you grow and as you make your own choices on how you live, the events on your thread will change as will your fate. The deities created the universe and all its worlds. So, yes, we gave it life and it can fall apart, or die in a sense. But it isn't a living being like what you think."

"So, what do Leo and Luna have to do with deities?" Patty asked.

"I chose Luna a couple months ago as my envoy of the gods. Leo was chosen by God Izanagi as his envoy. Those bracelets are proof that they have been chosen by us and are envoys," Yusei explained.

"How do you know they are worthy to be envoys of the gods?" Dexter asked.

"One, Izanagi can see the future and by going into a certain room in the Divine Realm, I can see the current future of a person as well. If we see a person that we deem worthy, and we debate this with ourselves for quite some time, we mark them as our chosen envoy by given them the bracelets, in our various ways depending on the god choosing," Yusei explained. "Some are harmless ways to give the mark, some will leave a burn or scratch."

"So that's why I've heard people talking to others about a girl showing them that gods really exist and that they know they do, too, now," Bob stated. "Luna was able to get them to believe and remember that gods are really out there!"

"And now Leo will be there to help as well," Yusei responded. "Picking a envoy is a big decision for gods. After all, we can only choose one and cannot take back that choice. And those people will stay our only envoys until they die. So we pick carefully and do not mess around when we choose one."

"You two are so lucky!" Patty exclaimed.

"I guess," Luna responded.

"Think we'll ever get picked?" Bob asked.

"I haven't heard of many other gods talking about envoys to choose from. And other than Akiza, who was also chosen, Leo, Luna, and two others who are from Africa and America, there aren't any other envoys on this world," Yusei responded. "I'm not saying 'no', but I'm not saying 'yes' either. It depends on what the other deities think." They nodded in acceptance.

They arrived at the garage and Luna and the others walked in. There were cards everywhere and Yusei used the wind to blow the smoke that was in the air outside.

Seeing the mess, Luna asked, "Was there another explosion?"

"There was an error in the machine," Crow explained.

"Impressive duel runner," Dexter stated while Bob and Patty agreed.

"We're using the frame for testing," Crow told them.

They walked down and Jack ordered, "Don't touch things without permission!"

"Can we play?" Bob asked.

"Please," Patty begged.

"No," Jack denied.

"Sure, but only if you help pick up the cards," Crow overruled.

"What?!" Jack yelled.

All of them, except for Jack who sat on the test duel runner and Yusei and Jayla while Jayla was on the computer with Yusei watching the others, began to pick up the cards. That's when Yusei and Jayla noticed Sly at the door.

"Are you a friend of theirs?" Jayla asked the boy.

Leo then noticed him and asked, "Why are you here? I thought you didn't want to come."

"Don't worry, I was just leaving," Sly replied.

"You're fine, Sly," Luna stated, pulling him back in and down the stairs. "Jayla, this is Sly. He's a classmate."

"You don't look as cool as I thought you would," Sly commented.

"Hey!" Crow snapped at him. "Just get back to picking up the cards."

"Whatever," Sly agreed and helped, despite being frustrated about it. As he helped pick up the cards, Yusei noticed him come across Stardust Dragon. He looked at it in awe.

"My Stardust Dragon should be here somewhere," Jayla stated approaching where Sly was.

"Here," Sly told him, handing over the card. Though, Yusei could tell he didn't really want to.

"Thanks," Jayla responded taking it.

After all the cards were picked up, Leo, Luna, and the others began to hang out and talk to Yusei a bit before they were told to leave by the guys. Yusei stayed behind though.

"Did you know they were coming?" Jayla asked.

"I heard them talking about it after school while flying around the city," Yusei explained calmly. "I had met up with them halfway here."

"And _why_ didn't you warn us?" Jack asked.

"I was going to, but I wanted to first warn Leo and Luna about you testing the engine. I was going to leave when Leo and Luna started getting questioned about me and I decided to stay and help them explain," he replied honestly. "Besides, you guys would've and were fine without me warning you. You got help picking up the cards, didn't you?"

"Couldn't you have done that with some godly powers?" Crow asked.

"I could've," Yusei replied. "But I can't interfere with too much simple matters here. Only things that create quite a problem for a majority of people."

"What have you been flying around for anyway?" Jayla asked.

"I've been trying to pinpoint where exactly this darkness is coming from. Or at least the area it's most concentrated in," he explained.

"Any luck?" Crow asked.

"Not yet," Futen answered. "But I have noticed that a teacher at the Duel Academy is getting quite adamant about expelling Leo and Luna's class."

"Why would he want to expel the whole class?" Jayla asked.

"He thinks the cards they used are worthless because they have a low level," Yusei explained.

"You are joking, right?" Jack asked.

"Not at all," Yusei responded. "I heard he was putting in his expulsion request and letting the class know they're going to get expelled tomorrow. You might be able to do something about it. More than I could."

"Like what?" Jayla asked.

"You'll find out," he replied vaguely. "If you need a hint as to how you'll be asked to help, someone will stop by tomorrow morning to ask for it. I'll be watching and be ready to help if anything happens. Just be ready."

"Anything else you'll like to tell us about the situation?" Crow asked.

"Sure," Yusei replied. "The person will tell you the problem is in a machine, but it's really the teacher. You'll find out later on." He then walked away with that.

. . .

The next morning, Jayla was working on the engine, though half of her mind was on what Yusei had said the previous day. A knock came at the door interrupting her thoughts and she turned as a man came in. "Hello, I heard there was a good mechanic here," he stated.

"Yeah, is there a problem?" Jayla responded.

"I'm having a mechanical problem and I could use someone named Jayla's help," the man responded. "I was told she was more than capable of helping."

"Then I'm who you're looking for. What's the mechanical problem?" Jayla asked.

"It's called Heitmann. It has a few screws loose that need tightening. Can you help?" he asked.

"Sure," she answered. "I'll be over there later." The man then left.

"And looks like you're going to be putting the teacher straight soon," came Yusei's voice.

Jayla twisted around and turned to see Yusei sitting on the window sill. "Yusei! How did you get in here?" she asked.

"I am as real as a human but as capable to move through things as a spirit. I just phased through the window and sat here," he explained. "Sorry, if I scared you. Didn't mean to."

"How long have you been sitting there?" Jayla asked.

"Just a few minutes. Since the man arrived asking for your help," he answered.

"So, this mechanical problem is the teacher you weren't talking about yesterday?" Jayla asked. Yusei nodded. "Then I better head over there. Want to come or are you going to just watch and be invisible?"

"I'll come. But I'm flying," Yusei responded.

"Don't like riding duel runners anymore?" Jayla asked.

"No, it's not that," he replied. "Since I am bonded, or married by your terms, to another goddess, I can't do anything even the slightest bit physical to another woman my seen age. So I can't ride with you. Believe me, if I could ride a duel runner again, I would. But at the moment, I can't."

"Alright, I guess I can understand. Well, as much as possible," Jayla accepted. "Deity stuff is just too complicated for right now." Yusei nodded and they each took off to the Duel Academy in their own way.

. . .

"That isn't right," Leo stated as the class complained.

"Be quiet!" Heitmann yelled. "No matter what you say, my decision to kick you out is final!"

"Why are we even being expelled?" Patty asked.

"Yeah, what did we do?" Bob added.

"You all have low grades and don't even deserve to be in this school," Heitmann replied. "This is New Domino City's best Duel Academy. As such, we are going to change to a more Higher-Leveled Class."

"What you're doing is wrong," Ms. Barttlet, the class' teacher, responded. "All children have the right to duel. The chancellor has always said so and…"

"You might be surprised that this is also the chancellor's decision," Heitmann responded and she was surprised. "The stubborn chancellor listened to what I have to say."

"Mr. Heitmann, please don't expel us," Luna begged.

"We are just now beginning to do our best," Leo added.

"You are in no position to say that. Especially you, Leo, who happens to be at the very bottom of this class," Heitmann responded.

"What are you talking about?" came Akiza's voice and they turned as she entered.

"You're Akiza," Heitmann stated.

"How can you be like that and still be proud to be a professor?" Akiza asked.

"A superior student like yourself would understand what I have to say," Heitmann responded.

"I don't," Akiza responded. "And I won't forgive any person who hurts children."

"It's alright, Akiza," Yusei stated walking in with Jayla and Akiza immediately smiled at him with a nod.

"Aren't you Jayla who won the Fortune Cup?" Heitmann asked causing the class to get excited. "What brings you to our Duel Academy?"

"I came with Yusei because I was asked to fix a problem," she answered.

"Nothing in the room needs to be fixed," Heitmann argued. "That is because the students are beyond fixing."

"You shouldn't even say that," Akiza scolded. "Do you really think judging people is based on grades alone? Stopping duels is a foolish thing."

"You are the one who is foolish," Heitmann retorted. "No matter how a low-leveled duelist duels, it is pointless. Every key card in the following duelists' decks are trash: Leo's Morphtronic Remoten, Luna's Kuribon, Dexter's Batteryman AA, Bob's Flamvell Guard, Patty's Hanewata, Sly's Eccentric Boy, and so on. That's because their duel level is low. Isn't that why they're using low level monsters?"

"You're wrong," Yusei told him.

"Nothing in this world is useless," Jayla followed.

"You are outsider and you have no right to interfere on this. You should just go home," Heitmann said. "Why are even hear again?"

"Someone came to my place asking him to help fix you," Jayla stated. "Though he was vague and just said a mechanical problem in something called Heitmann, I could tell he was talking about you pretty easily."

"How?" Heitmann asked.

"I've been paying close attention to you and what you've been saying since you started thinking this class needed to be expelled," Yusei explained. "But you wouldn't understand what I would say. Not in the mindset you're in right now, at least."

"He is right," Luna agreed and Leo nodded making Heitmann shocked.

"How about a duel, Heitmann?" Jayla challenged. "If I win, you can't expel this class or any class."

"Very well," he agreed. "Even though an outsider has no right to duel."

. . .

Jayla kneeled to the children's eye level as they wished her luck. "I need you guys to do me a favor," she told them. They looked at her confused. "I need to borrow the monsters that Heitmann called useless. This way I can teach him that you and your cards are never useless."

"Alright!" the kids agreed and handed over the cards.

Heitmann and Jayla stood across from each other. "Let's see how well you can duel, girl," Heitmann taunted.

Jayla stayed silent as she drew her card. "I summon Flamvell Guard (Attack 100/ Defense 2000) in defense mode and set two cards face down," she declared. "That ends my turn."

Heitmann drew his card. "I summon Ancient Gear Statue (Attack 500/ Defense 800)," he declared. "I then activate Machine Duplication to special summon two more Ancient Gear Statues. Next I activate the effect of my three Ancient Gear Statues. By tributing each of them, I can special summon three Ancient Gear Golems (Attack 3000/ Defense 3000) ignoring summoning conditions."

"I activate Tuner's Barrier! This prevents Flamvell Guard from being destroyed by battle or card effects until the end of the next turn," Jayla called.

"Now my three Golems, attack Flamvell Guard," Heitmann ordered. Flamvell Guard wasn't destroyed but she still took damage from the Ancient Gear Golems' effect dropping her life points down to 1000. "Now I activate Level Thunder which inflict damage to you equal to the combined levels of all my face up monsters I control times 100. And the combined levels equals 24 meaning you'll take 2400 points of damage. Now wouldn't that strip you of your life points."

"Not quite, because by discarding Hanewata, I can make the damage I would've taken to zero," she fought.

"Wait, those cards…" Heitmann stated finally realizing her cards.

"That's right, Heitmann. These cards I'm playing are monsters that you called useless because they were low-leveled," Jayla told him. "Now it's my turn!" She drew her card. "I activate Cards of Consonance. Now if I discard a card like Debris Dragon, I can draw two cards." She drew the cards. "Next I normal summon Eccentric Boy (Attack 800/ Defense 200) in attack position. Then I activate its effect to tune it with my Turret Warrior that's in my hand! So I synchro summon to the field, Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)!" Her dragon took its stance beside her and everyone looked at it shocked while she saw Yusei grin in approval, as he knew what she was planning. "Next I activate Variety Comes Out! By returning Stardust Dragon to the extra deck, I can special summon Eccentric Boy, Hanewata (Attack 200/ Defense 300) and Debris Dragon (Attack 1000/ Defense 2000) from my graveyard in attack position since their combined levels equal the level of Stardust Dragon. Next I activate Tuner's Explosion! By tributing Eccentric Boy, Hanewata, and Flamvell Guard, I can destroy all of your monsters and inflict damage to you for each monster destroyed." Heitmann's life points took the hit and fell to 1000. "Now Debris Dragon, attack him directly!" The attack succeeded and Heitmann's life points fell to nothing.

"There are children who duel seriously and it doesn't matter about the level of the monsters used, Heitmann," she told him walking up.

The man who informed Jayla of the problem earlier entered. "That was what I expected of you, Jayla. You tightened the screw like I needed," he stated.

"You're the chancellor that had come to see me earlier," she responded.

"I'm sorry for tricking you, but I wasn't able to persuade the stubborn Heitmann myself," he responded.

"Did you ask Jayla to defeat me?" Heitmann asked the chancellor.

"How was it?" the chancellor replied.

"I was wrong," Heitmann answered. The children ran down and hugged Jayla cheering for the fact that she won and they got to stay. "Alright, I withdraw my expulsion request."

Jayla handed back the cards to them and walked up to Sly who stood to the side. "Thanks for letting me use your card, Sly," she told him handing the card back. "I couldn't have won without it."

"Yeah," Sly simply replied and took the card back.

Yusei walked over and Jayla looked at him as he gave her an approving grin. "Let's go," he suggested. She nodded and followed him along with the children out.


	4. Haunted by the Past

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 4: Haunted by the Past

Dexter, Leo, and Luna walked through a forest. A black bird flew off and Leo suggested, "Why don't we turn back?"

"It was you're idea to explore in the first place," Dexter pointed out. He pulled a crafty face and asked, "Maybe if Yusei were here, you wouldn't be so scared."

"I'm not scared!" he yelled and pointed a finger to Luna. "I was just thinking on whether or not Luna is scared."

"I'm fine, Leo," Luna responded simply.

"Alright. So am I," Leo agreed. They continued with Leo a bit scared still, holding onto Dexter's back as they walked.

Though they didn't notice, Luna stopped while her brother and friend continued. She looked at a different direction and said, "This atmosphere… there's something here."

Suddenly, she was pulled into a trance and walked in the direction while Leo and Dexter continued to walk ahead. As Luna walked, Kuribon called and tried to tell her something urgent.

Shortly after, Regulus appeared and he said, "Luna, I can feel a strong spirit. You should turn back." An unseen force then caused the two spirits to disappear while Luna kept walking.

. . .

Yusei was hanging out at the garage with Jayla and the others and were talking to Jack and Crow. Crow then began to tell the two about a strange forest.

"Wait, the forest that spirits away?" Jayla questioned.

"Yeah. Rumors about it have been appearing lately, that many people have gone missing from the forest," Crow explained.

"Know anything, Yusei?" Jack asked.

He began to think. "If I'm thinking of the right forest, then I do know one that has a lot of dark energy around it. But it isn't like a dark energy from the Underworld. More like a spirit that is haunted by its own past," he explained.

"What do you mean by that?" Crow asked.

"Sometimes a spirit of a person who died gets trapped in between the Heavens or the Underworld and Earth. It's not very common. But it's usually due to an emotional attachment or action the spirit had done when they were alive," Keeo explained. "They are trapped by their past actions and are put into a loop which is what they are unknowingly being haunted by. When they're trapped, they tend to lose their way and they have to be reminded of what truly happened in order to find their way to the next life area depending on where they were supposed to go. Depending on the energy left of the spirit, I can tell whether they are meant for the Underworld or Heavens. I felt a lot of energy leading to the Heavens. But, haunted spirits are still quite dangerous."

"Well, people are saying that it's a monster that lives in the forest," Crow responded.

"If it was a monster, I would've sensed it long ago," he retorted gently.

"Do you think there could be any relation to the incident with the Ghost?" Jayla asked.

Crow finished the sandwich he was eating and said, "You're thinking too hard. Kids love talking about legends and those sort of things after all. Well, I'm heading off to work." He then left on his duel runner. Yusei was tense, not really sure what to think of it.

. . .

Back in the forest, Luna stepped on a twig causing her to return to normal. "Where am I?" she responded noticing the different layout then where she was before. "Leo!" she called. "Dexter!" A creepy noise was then heard which got Luna alert. "I knew it. There's something here." Suddenly, a vine began to come down and surround her. "Leo!" She closed her eyes fearfully. "Leo, help me!"

"Heavy Storm!" called a voice and destroyed the vines closing around Luna. "Are you alright?" asked a voice. As the smoke cleared, a boy walked up. "Are you hurt?"

"You're…?" she stopped telling him to finish.

"My name is Haley. And you are?" he responded.

"I'm Luna," she answered.

"It's nice to meet you. It's dangerous being alone. There are a lot of bad guys in the forest," Haley told her.

"Bad guys?" she repeated.

"Would you like to come to my house? Claire will be happy to have a visitor," Haley asked. "You'll be safe there."

"You have a house out here?" she replied and followed him.

. . .

Back in the basement and Jayla's apartment, Jayla was working on parts of her duel runner with Yusei watching.

"Yusei! Jayla!" called Dexter's voice. They turned as Dexter ran in. "Yusei!"

"What's wrong, Dexter?" Yusei asked.

"Luna went missing in the forest," Dexter informed shocking both Yusei and Jayla. "Leo went looking for Luna in the forest, too."

Yusei got up and asked, "Does this have to do with the forest that takes people?" Dexter gulped nervously and nodded.

"Stay here, Dexter. I'll go look for them," Yusei ordered beginning to walk out.

"I'm coming with you, Yusei," Jayla stated. He shook his head in refusal. "I'm not arguing. We can't afford to risk losing a god to some spirit."

He sighed in defeat and turned back to Dexter. "But you stay here, Dexter. Contact us if they come back," he told the child. He nodded and Jayla took off on her duel runner with Yusei flying behind her.

. . .

Leo ran through the forest. "Luna!" he called. "Luna!" He stopped. "Luna!" Suddenly, a creepy noise was then heard and Leo got a bit scared. "What… is that?" He calmed himself down. _'Don't be scared, Leo. I have to hurry and find Luna,'_ Leo thought before running again, calling Luna's name.

. . .

Haley and Luna arrived outside a house. "We're here," he told her. He opened the door and they walked in. Haley closed the door behind them.

"So you're defeating the bad guys in the forest through duels?" Luna asked.

"Yes. But nobody believes me," he replied.

"I believe you," Luna responded. "I can see duel monster spirits."

"So that's how it is. I was able to feel it when I first met you. You have an interesting power," Haley told her.

"Uh, thanks," Luna responded and followed him forward. They soon came to a door.

Haley called in as he opened it. "Claire, we have a guest," he told a girl in a bed.

"Uh, hello. I'm Luna," the Signer introduced.

"Claire, you should greet Luna as well," Haley responded. Not a movement was made from the bed she was in.

"Is she sleeping?" Luna asked.

"She always sleeps because she's ill," Haley answered. "She's always scared of the bad guys. I am the only one who can protect Claire."

"Are you the only ones in the house? What about your parents?" Luna asked.

"They went gone away a long time ago. They didn't even say anything," Haley answered.

' _Claire's the same as me. Claire is afraid of the bad people like I am. And because I tend to be ill and frail, Leo protects me and takes care of me. And Haley's like me in a way too. He's discourages how his parents went away long ago and never said anything,'_ Luna thought. Haley suddenly walked to the window. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Something is coming. It's a bad guy," he told her. "Stay here with Claire and don't leave the room."

"Wait! I'll go t…" Luna tried but was cut off by the door mysteriously shutting behind him, shocking her.

Outside the house, Leo walked up. "It's a big house. Luna couldn't be in there," he stated. Suddenly, the doors to the house opened up with so much force that the wind caused Leo to cover his eyes for a second. Leo uncovered his eyes and asked, "What is that?"

Haley appeared and pointed at him, saying, "You, bad guy, I won't let you take another step further!" He readied his duel disk. "Come duel me."

"Uh, why am I a bad guy?" Leo asked confused. "What're you talking about?" He stopped as he heard Luna call his name. He looked up at the window on the top floor and saw her. "Luna!" He ran forward towards the house. But the doors closed and Haley stood in front of Leo.

"I won't let you through," Haley told Luna's twin.

"Are you the one who took Luna?" Leo asked. "Why are you doing such a thing?" Haley remained silent. Leo took out his duel disk from his academy backpack and said, "I'll definitely take Luna back!" They pulled their five starting cards. He looked at Luna. "Luna… I'll definitely save you!"

"Leo…" Luna muttered from in the room.

Haley took the first turn and drew. "I activate the continuous spell card, Circle of Life!" he declared and a yellow circle appeared around the field. Haley walked onto the circle and explained, "Now we can't use any spell cards unless we discard a spell card during our turns. Let me show you my combo. I send Mirror Prison to the graveyard to activate the continuous spell, Circle of Terror!" A second circle appeared just outside the yellow one. "Now we can't summon monsters unless we discard a monster card from our hand during our turns." A black aura then surrounded the house Luna was in.

' _Is trapping Luna in there part of Haley's powers?'_ Leo thought and looked at his hand. _'I can't do anything now unless I discard cards from my hand.'_

"I send the zombie-type monster Sleeping Beauty to the graveyard to activate its effect. As long as Sleeping Beauty is in the graveyard, the zombie type monsters in my hand have their levels reduced by one," Haley explained. "Therefore, my level five Hollow Spirit becomes a level four. So I normal summon my Hollow Spirit (Attack 1200/ Defense 1000) in attack mode. Attack can't be declared on my first turn, but I will have you take Hollow Spirit's effect. When there's a zombie type monster in the graveyard, I can inflict 800 points of damage to you." Hollow Spirit formed blue energy of light that seemed to be sucked out of Leo whose life points fell to 3200. Leo yelled in pain from the attack. "I end my turn."

Leo stepped forward a bit and weakly asked, "What was that? It felt like an actual shock." He then thought, _'Is Haley a psychic duelist?'_ He shook his head. _'Get ahold of yourself! If I get scared of something like this, I can't save Luna!'_ He drew his card. _'I need to break that combo, or else.'_ He then declared, "I send Morphtronic Datatron to the graveyard."

"There's no meaning in just summoning a monster to break this combo," Haley said. "With Mirror Prison that I had just sent to the graveyard, most monsters cannot attack. But zombie and machine type monsters are safe from it."

Leo smirked. "That means it won't have any effect on my deck. I summon level three tuner Morphtronic Scopen (Attack 800/ Defense 1400) in attack mode," he declared.

"So you have a machine deck?" Haley asked surprised.

"That's right," Leo replied. "With Scopen's effect, I special summon the level four normal monster Morphtronic Videon (Attack 1000/ Defense 1000). Now I tune level four Morphtronic Videon with level three Morphtronic Scopen. Docking strength with courage in order to protect world peace. Synchro summon! The envoy of love and justice, Power Tool Dragon (Attack 2300/ Defense 2500)!"

"You are quite lucky. But I won't lose to something without a soul," Haley told Leo.

"Don't make a fool of Power Tool Dragon. I activate its effect. This allows me to add one random equip to my hand," Leo declared. "I discard Morphtronic Cord from my hand to the graveyard and equip Power Tool Dragon with Break Draw!"

Suddenly, a duel runner drove up causing both Leo and Haley to look in its direction. Jayla yanked to a stop next to Leo.

Yusei landed beside them. "Leo, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yusei! Jayla!" Leo exclaimed.

"So another bad guy has appeared," Haley stated. "But the man… He's different." Yusei looked at him.

"There's something's wrong about this field…" Jayla started but Leo cut her off.

"I'm fine. So go rescue Luna!" Leo told her. He pointed to the window and said, "She's trapped up there."

"I got her, Yusei," Jayla stated.

"I won't let you take a step into the house," Haley stated. A dark aura began to surround Haley making Jayla pause in shock while Yusei tensed.

"He's a haunted spirit," he stated.

"I'm your opponent, Haley," Leo told the boy. "Power Tool Dragon, attack Hollow Spirit!" Power Tool Dragon attacked Hollow Spirit, destroying it and causing Haley's life points to drop to 2900.

Haley let his guard down and in that moment Jayla drove her duel runner and broke down the door and drove inside before stopping. Yusei ran in after her.

"How dare you…" Haley began but Leo interrupted him.

"When Power Tool Dragon destroys your monster, I can draw one card," Leo explained and he drew his card.

Haley got angry and said, "Unforgivable… I won't forgive anyone who hurts my most precious person!" An evil, dark skull enveloped and surrounded Haley and Leo yelled in fear.

. . .

Yusei and Jayla turned hearing Leo's scream after Jayla was off her runner. "Leo…" the god of wind muttered. Yusei turned to a picture hanging on the wall with Jayla.

"This is… I remember hearing that a long time ago, there were some people living here. Among them were two siblings," Jayla recalled.

"It's true. A brother was taking care of his sister's illness but it made him sick," Yusei stated. "The brother passed away and it looks like the sister followed her brother as well."

"Did you try to help them?" Jayla asked.

"I couldn't. It was their appointed fate by the universe," Yusei explained. "I wanted to, believe me. But it wasn't to be and if I tried," He scoffed, "I don't want to know what Izanagi would do to me for tampering with a mortal's fate." Jayla nodded in acceptance. "Let's get moving," he suggested, walking up the stairs with the Signer.

. . .

Back with Haley, the darkness continued to surround him and Leo wondered, "It couldn't be that he's a demon?! In that case, I can't lose. I won't hand Luna over to a demon."

"When Hollow Spirit is sent to the graveyard, another door to the graveyard opens. Show yourself, Hollow Ghost (Attack 2600/ Defense 0)!" A darkness appeared on the ground as Hollow Ghost appeared out of it.

"2600 attack points?! Just when I had defeated Hollow Spirit," Leo responded shocked. He calmed down and thought, _'I have to find a way to beat this guy.'_

. . .

Up in the room with Luna, she muttered in worry, "Leo…" But she stopped when she heard someone crying.

She looked over to see a girl crying in a corner near the bed. "Big brother, where are you?" she cried.

"You… Could you be…?" Luna said.

The girl continued to cry as she said, "Don't leave me alone here." She rubbed the wall calling out to her big brother once more.

"Y-You're Claire," Luna realized. "Where are you right now, Claire?" The girl however continued to cry "big brother" while rubbing the wall with her hands.

. . .

The duel between Leo and Haley continued. "I set a face down and end my turn," Leo finished.

"Even if you try to take my sister's life, it's useless! I will protect my little sister, Claire… even if I have to give up my own life!" Haley told Leo.

"You have a little sister?" Leo responded surprised.

"It's my turn," Haley called drawing his card. "Hollow Ghost, attack Power Tool Dragon!" A dark blast hit Leo's monster and Leo's life points dropped to 2900.

"Well, due to Power Tool Dragon's ability, by sending Break Draw to the graveyard, I can negate Power Tool Dragon's destruction," Leo defended.

"I activate Hollow Ghost's effect! When a card is sent to the graveyard, you are dealt 600 points of damage," Haley played. Hollow Ghost flew around Leo, blue energy sucked out of the Signer's brother while he yelled from the pain as his life points fell to 2300. "Next through Circle of Light and Circle of Terror's effect, I have to send a spell and a monster to the graveyard. I will then have you take 1200 points of damage through Hollow Ghost's effect." Leo yelled out in pain again as Hollow Ghost sucked more blue energy out of him and his life points fell to 1100.

. . .

In the house, Yusei spotted a dark aura enveloping a door ahead with Jayla. The current Signer began to walk over to it when she noticed the god stop. Yusei was looking at the door next to them and she quickly heard voices coming from it.

"What're those voices?" Jayla wondered and reached to open the door.

"Jayla, something's wrong behind this door. Be careful," Yusei warned her.

"I will," she responded. She opened the door to see cards with people trapped in them.

"This is almost like what Pegasus did to Mokuba and Seto Kaiba during Duelist Kingdom," Yusei muttered.

"What?" Jayla responded confused.

"I'll explain later. It's a history from Yugi Muto's time," he replied.

One of the voices called out turning their attention to the cards, "Help me."

Another said, "Let me out of here."

"Could these be the people who disappeared in the forest?" Jayla wondered.

"Yeah… I think so," Yusei answered.

. . .

"I will now end my turn," Haley declared.

Leo huffed, a bit tired from the attacks. "I know you're trying to protect your sister," he said. "And I completely understand those feelings. That's why I definitely can't lose!" He then thought, _'This isn't about me. It's about Luna. Which is why one way or another, I'm going to win this duel!'_ Leo began his turn and drew his card. ' _'If these circles are what's trapping Luna, then I need to get rid of them.'_ He then played, "I reveal my face down, Morphtronic Impact Return! By returning a Morphtronic monster from my hand to my deck, I can return Circle of Life and Circle of Terror to your hand." This shocked Haley as the cards returned to his hand. The circles then disappeared along with the darkness that surrounded the house.

. . .

In the house, the aura around the room Luna was in disappeared. Yusei opened it calling Luna's name, to which she turned and responded by say both names.

The Signer and deity walked over to her and Yusei asked, "Are you alright, Luna?"

Luna just pointed over to Claire and said, "We have to save her. Or at this rate, we won't be able to save either Haley or her."

"Big brother," Claire cried. She then turned to the three of them, or more specifically at Yusei. "You… You're here to bring us over, right?"

Luna spotted something glowing on the doll in the bed. Taking part of the covers off, a glowing card was revealed to be what it was.

. . .

In the duel, Haley got angry but then said, "Since a card was sent to the graveyard, you'll take Hollow Ghost's effect!" Leo yelled out from the pain as Hollow Ghost sucked more blue energy out of him and his life points fell to 500.

"I activate Power Tool Dragon's effect to add a random equip spell from my deck to my hand," Leo declared. He then whispered before he looked at the card, "Come to me… the power needed to protect my most precious one!" He looked at the card and smiled at it. "I play the equip spell, Power Pickaxe and equip it to Power Took Dragon! Through Power Pickaxe's effect, I can remove one monster from your graveyard from play that has a lower level than Power Tool Dragon. And I choose to remove Hollow Spirit! And when Hollow Spirit's not in your graveyard, Hollow Ghost's attack points go to zero! And now Power Tool Dragon's attack points are raised by half of the removed from play monster's attack (Power Tool Dragon: Attack 2900). Power Tool Dragon, attack Hollow Ghost!" The mechanical dragon sliced Hollow Ghost in half, which destroyed it and created a small explosion of smoke. After the smoke cleared, Haley was kneeled on the ground as his life points fell to zero.

"Am I unable to protect Claire with my strength?" Haley asked.

Luna's voice then called out, "That's not true." Haley turned to her.

"Luna!" Leo yelled and Luna put both her hands on her heart and responded by saying his own name.

"Big brother," called a voice and Yusei walked out followed by Claire. She walked over to Haley.

"What happened? It's no good if you leave your room," Haley told the young, spirit girl.

"Big brother, please don't hurt these people," Claire said. She looked at Leo. "That person is trying to protect his little sister as well." He looked at Leo confused.

Leo began to run over to him but Luna ran over, calling Leo's name and grabbed his hands.

"You're safe," Leo said.

"Yeah. All thanks to you," Luna responded.

"Thank goodness," Leo stated. They let go and turned their attention to Haley who looked away with his eyes closed.

"You don't have to protect me anymore. You're hurt as well. We're no longer…" she trailed off. She then looked at Yusei, "He told me what happened. He is a true god."

Haley opened his eyes and said to Claire, "I couldn't protect you."

"You've protected me more than enough," Claire responded.

Haley then turned to Leo and Luna. "Leo, Luna," he called, "it looks like I did something horrible."

"It's okay," Luna told him. "You were trying so hard to protect Claire." She looked at Leo who nodded. Haley looked away again. Luna approached him and said, "Take this." She held out the card from the bed and he took it.

"Big brother," Claire said, "let's go. Like God Futen wants."

"Yeah," Haley replied. They looked at the twins one last time. "Leo… for me as well?"

"I'll protect Luna!" Leo answered.

He and Claire then grabbed hands and floated into the air before vanishing completely. The house began to disappear, leaving only small remains of it. A bunch of kids were grouped around inside the rubble.

"Why are they here?" Leo wondered.

"They're the people taken away by the forest," Jayla answered.

"Haley didn't realize he was dead, but his strong feelings to protect Claire held him here," Yusei explained. "Then he saw the people here as bad and trapped them here. They were a haunted spirits, trapped by their own emotions and not able to find their way to the Heavens."

Leo turned to Luna, saying, "I somehow understand Haley's feelings. If he was still alive, I might have been friends with him."

"Yeah, Claire too," Luna agreed.

"We better get back," Yusei suggested. "Dexter will probably get worried if we don't."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about Dexter," Leo responded.

"Leo…" Luna groaned before they started laughing.

"Let's go, you two," Jayla told them before taking off with Yusei using the wind to allow Leo and Luna to fly with him in the air.


	5. Trash Zone

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 5: Trash Zone

Yusei was flying around when he noticed Martha talking to a older man with Blister in Satellite. "Sir, let's try to make an agreement," Martha tried. "Surely, you can find a better place to live. Like my home."

"I am telling you! I am not planning on leaving this home!" the man fought.

Yusei landed just out of sight before walking up shocking and confusing them. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"My name is Yusei," he replied. "Is there something wrong going on here?"

"This place is where this man lives," Martha answered. "I just think he would be better staying at my place."

"My name is Mr. Bashford, young man," the man introduced. "And I'm not leaving here. Not even another person who seems like a man of reason can get me to leave!"

"If you don't mind me asking, why don't you want to leave?" Yusei responded.

"This is my home! It's been my home for years and I'm not just going to up and leave it!" Mr. Bashford answered hotly.

"Among other reasons, am I right?" Yusei responded calmly.

"How do you know that?" Mr. Bashford asked.

"It's a long story," Yusei responded.

"Why do you seem so familiar?" Martha responded.

"I agree. It feels like I saw you in another lifetime or something," Blister followed.

"You had in a way," Yusei replied. "The me you remember comes from a previous timeline."

"And what happened then that made timelines switch?" Mr. Bashford asked now intrigued.

"I am truly known as Futen, the god of wind," Yusei answered shocking them. "In the previous timeline, I went by the name of Yusei Fudo as I had gotten trapped in that boy's body when darkness began to engulf the Earth. In fact, Martha, Blister, I did the exact same things Jayla did while in the previous timeline you didn't even really know her."

"You serious?" Blister asked.

Yusei nodded. "After we defeated the Dark Signers, I returned to the Divine Realm and Jayla took my place as the Signer of the Dragon Head and all the events that go on to this day," he replied. "When a god or goddess needs to return after being trapped on a mortal world, the timeline changes to not having that god or goddess a part of it. Originally, Yusei Fudo died on the day of Zero Reverse, just as it happened now."

"So deities really exist?" Mr. Bashford asked.

"Yes," Yusei answered. "Luna, a young girl, was the first envoy of the gods to be chosen in a long while. She is the only one who remembers the previous timeline besides the other deities and I."

"That little girl, huh? Big responsibility to be some messenger of the gods for a kid her age," Blister responded.

"It may be. But recently, Leo, her twin brother, and Akiza Izinski were chosen to be the envoys as well," Yusei answered. "Leo was chosen by God Izanagi, the god of creation. Akiza was chosen by Goddess Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun."

"To think, some people have been forgetting that deities have been protecting us all this time," Mr. Bashford stated.

"It's understandable. After all, science is beginning to replace what some would believe as fantasy and fiction," Yusei responded. "Today, people just want to believe what science and technology has proven as existent."

"No respect for traditions, do they?" Mr. Bashford stated.

"I wouldn't say that," Yusei corrected shocking the old man. "Tradition varies between families and religions can vary between cultures. It's all a matter of where you born and what family you were born to. Now, back to the first topic of your current living state…" Bashford cut Futen off.

"I'm not moving out of my place!" the old man heatedly refused.

Martha sighed. "Let's go," she stated and brought the two other men away from Mr. Bashford. They soon arrived at her house and she said, "I don't know what I'm going to do. He won't compromise with anything, but he shouldn't keep living in a trash heap."

"Talk to Jack, Crow, and Jayla," Yusei suggested. "They'll be able to figure something out."

"You're probably right," Blister stated. "I'll go contact them." He then walked off and made the call.

. . .

Blister had managed to convince the others, after bringing them to Martha's, to help out. And the other orphans did help by convincing Crow to help out as well.

Currently, Blister took the group of Signers and god of wind to the house. As soon as the three Signers saw the place, Crow asked, "Are you sure he lives here? There are piles and piles of junk, you know."

"He lives here alright," Blister responded.

Crow took one step through the gate when the blare of a megaphone rang in their ears. "Don't take another step further!" came the old man's voice.

"Don't you want to stay somewhere, I don't know, cleaner? Like Martha's house?" Crow called back as they saw the man in his window.

"I've heard all your offers and nothing will get me away from my home! This is my home and I'm staying with it," the man responded.

"Then I guess I'll have to force you, huh?" Crow said.

He was about to run in when Yusei called, "Hold up, Crow."

"What's wrong? Don't you want to help this guy?" Crow asked shocked by his voice.

"I do. But I also don't want you to get hurt," Yusei responded.

"How would he get hurt?" Jayla asked.

"Believe me, this won't be an easy ride in. There are surprises hidden here," he explained vaguely.

"I don't care. I'm going in there," Crow responded.

He ran in before any had a chance to respond. Yusei watched as the man pulled a rope and a Scrap-Iron Scarecrow bounced out in Crow path. Crow was sent flying backwards and into a pile of junk.

"What did I say about surprises?" Yusei asked with a sigh.

"How many are there?" Jack asked.

"Only three more that I can see. So watch your step," Era answered.

Crow was barely listening and ran down the hill. He was coming close to the back to back holes.

"Man, he's persistent," groveled the old man.

"I wouldn't try jumping across this next trap, Crow," Yusei warned.

"Yeah right," Crow responded and jumped over the trap hole. Just as he was about to land, another trap hole fell open.

"I tried to warn you," Futen sighed.

"There can't be anymore after that," Blister said.

"Look at the ground. There's one more," Yusei responded and they looked at him. Crow had dragged himself back up and out of the hole and began running again. "Crow, look down at where you're stepping."

The group looked at noticed the grooves suggesting the ground was trapped again. Crow stepped on it and was sent flying back into another pile.

Yusei ran over followed by the group. _'I tried to warn him,'_ he thought but that didn't mean he didn't care about his friend's health.

When they reached it, they saw Crow looking around. He was on an old Duel Ring. "Hey guys, check out this duel ring," Crow said.

"What's it doing here?" Jack asked.

"What do you think you're doing on my duel ring?!" yelled Mr. Bashford running up.

"I was flung here and I gotta say, I've wanted to duel in a Duel Ring since I was a kid," Crow responded.

"You think it's cool?" the old timer asked.

"Yeah. Who wouldn't?" Crow replied.

"Whatever. Just leave the place right now!" Mr. Bashford retorted.

"How about we have a duel?" Crow suggested.

"A duel?" Mr. Bashford repeated.

"Sure. If you win, I'll leave without a problem. In return, if I win, you'll come over to Martha's place," Crow suggested the terms.

"Sure, why not? Like you can even beat me anyways," the old man suggested.

"Crow, you sure about this?" Jayla asked.

"Yeah, I am," Crow responded.

"Let him do this. Just like when he duel Greiger, he can do this," Yusei chimed in.

"Well, he was right about the traps. Might as well take his advice and let Crow work this out," Blister said and looked to see Crow and Mr. Bashford on the opposing sides ready to face each other.

"Duel!" they exclaimed in unison.

"I'll go first," Mr. Bradford said drawing a card. "I summon Maternal Junk (Attack 300/ Defense 1800) in defense mode. I place one card face down and end my turn."

Crow drew his card. "I summon Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor (Attack 800/ Defense 0) in attack mode. And with its effect, I'll summon out Blackwing- Bora the Spear. Now Bora the Spear, attack his Maternal Junk!" Crow ordered.

"Not quite. I activate my face down card. Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Mr. Bashford declared negating Crow's attack. As the card does, it resets itself face down.

"I end my turn," Crow said.

"My turn," the old man said while drawing his card. "I summon Paternal Junk (Attack 1600/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. Since Maternal Junk is face-up on my field, Paternal Junk gains 500 attack points due to its effect giving it a total of 2100 attack points. Next I activate Junk Factory. Due to this card all Junk monsters gain 500 attack points. (Maternal Junk: 800 attack/ Paternal Junk: 2600 attack) Paternal Junk, attack Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor!" Mr. Bashford ordered and his monster did his bidding. Crow's life points dropped to 2200. "Now I'm going to use Junk Factory's second effect sending that Blackwing of yours to you deck instead of your grave yard. Now I place three cards face down and end my turn."

"Okay, Crow just took a beating. I don't know how he'll pull through. Yusei, do you know?" Blister asked.

"I can't see the future, but I know Crow and his dueling style that hasn't change since the previous timeline. Crow will be able to do this. And it'll be because of this turn," he responded. They gave him a confused look before turning back to the duel.

Crow drew his card. "I activate Black-Winged Strafe! By sending Blackwing- Shura the Blue Flame to the graveyard, I get to destroy that Maternal Junk," he declared.

"Not so fast. I activate Scrap-Iron Barricade! This prevents Maternal Junk from being destroyed by card effects this turn," Mr. Bashford retorted. As soon as its ability was complete, it reset itself.

"Then I summon, Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North (Attack 1300/ Defense 0) in attack mode. Next I activate the effect of Blizzard the Far North to special summon Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame (Attack 1800/ Defense 1200) from my Graveyard in defense position," Crow declared.

"Then I'll have to act by play Scrap-Iron Pitfall which sends your Shura the Blue Flame to your hand," the old man retorted. It reset itself now that its duty was fulfilled.

"Well, I activate Card for Black Feathers to send Blackwing- Shura the Blue Flame from my hand to the Graveyard and draw two cards from my Deck," Crow returned. "I summon Blackwing- Gale the Whirlwind (Attack 1300/ Defense 400) in attack mode due to its effect. Next I activate Blackwing- Gale the Whirlwind's second effect, halving the attack and defense points of Paternal Junk until the End Phase (Paternal Junk: Attack 1300/ Defense 600). Now I attack Paternal Junk with Blackwing - Bora the Spear."

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow again to negate the attack," Bashford declared. Scrap-Iron Scarecrow then reset itself face-down due to its effect.

"Well how about I attack Paternal Junk with Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind?" Crow said as he activated the effect of Blackwing- Kalut the Moon Shadow. "By sending it from my hand to the Graveyard, I can increase the attack points of Blackwing- Gale the Whirlwind by 1400 until the End Phase (Gale the Whirlwind: Attack 2700). Gale the Whirlwind will now attack Paternal Junk." It destroyed the monster.

Bashford's life points dropped from 4000 to 2600. "I activate Junk Spirit, allowing me to special summon Paternal Junk during the End Phase," Mr. Bashford declared.

Crow placed 1 card face-down and ended his turn. Because he ended his turn, the effect of Kalut the Moon Shadow wore off, returning the attack of Gale the Whirlwind to normal (Gale the Whirlwind: Attack 1300). Paternal Junk was also revived at a full 2600 attack points.

Mr. Bashford drew his card. "I equip Junk Barrage to Paternal Junk," he declared.

Paternal Junk attacked and destroyed Gale of the Whirlwind dropping Crow's life points to 900. Junk Barrage's ability activated dealing Crow damage equal to half Gale of the Whirlwind's attack points. Once again inflicting Crow damage and his life points dropped to 250.

Crow then activated Black Thunder, inflicting 400 damage to Bashford for every card on his side of the field. Since Bashford has seven cards on his side of the field, Bashford takes 2800 damage. Bashford's life points dropped from 2600 to 0 Life Points. Making Crow the winner.


	6. The French Duelist

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 6: The French Duelist

Jayla woke up slowly and found herself in a dark area. She winced a bit as she felt a bump on the back of her head. Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the dark and she noticed she was in the back of a truck.

Strangely, over to the side was her duel runner. "I think I remember now," Jayla muttered. "I received a call for a job and was asked to be at a house. When I got there, I heard a shout and went in to check it out. But then the guy who was supposed hurt, showed himself to be fine and I was knocked out. So what am I doing here?"

"A reasonable question, my friend," came a voice and a screen lit up behind him. A man appeared on the screen. "Finally woken up, I see."

"Who are you?" Jayla asked.

"I'm Boss from the Tour Riding Group," the man replied.

"Why would you do this?" Jayla asked.

"Others who don't really know this group only assume," Boss answered.

"Why did you take us?" Jayla asked.

"Because you are the winner of the Fortune Cup. I intend to recruit you onto my team for the World Racing Grand Prix," Boss explained.

"Sorry, I already have a team I'm entering with my friends, Jack Atlas and Crow Hogan," Jayla denied. "I can't join your group."

"I don't care that you already have a team. And no matter what, you will join us. We will even use our doctor's psychology on you if we must," Boss responded.

"That sort of thing wouldn't be allowed," Jayla retorted.

"It will and only we will know about this and no one else," Boss retorted.

. . .

Yusei was flying around looking for Jayla with Jack, Akiza, Mina, and Crow, Mina and Akiza being together.

"This may be all some prank," Jack suggested.

"Yeah," Crow agreed.

"We have to make sure it isn't," Akiza stated.

"Whenever it comes to any situation involving Jayla, you always…" Jack started but was cut off.

"Stop right there, Jack!" Akiza yelled cutting him off.

Suddenly, they intercepted another call by a mysterious man, "We have caught Jayla. They're heading for Valley Ridge. You better hurry up before his friends find him."

After the call cuts, Mina and Akiza turned to head towards the west route where the truck holding Jayla was.

" _Akiza, the truck holding Jayla is a soda delivery truck,"_ Yusei told her telepathically.

" _Wait, you can talk telepathically, Yusei?"_ Akiza responded.

" _Yes,"_ he answered. _"Don't tell the others yet. They don't need to know until it's time. Just find Jayla."_

" _Right,"_ she agreed and turned back to the job at hand.

Once the two were on a certain road, Akiza's mark lit up and allowed her to feel Jayla's presence. As they passed through a highway, she noticed a truck passing by at the same time as her mark ached a bit. It was also a soda delivery truck as Yusei had said. "Mina, the truck down there!" Akiza ordered. Mina nodded and the two of them took another route and were soon close to the truck. The Crimson Dragon's mark activated and Akiza said, "Jayla's definitely in there."

. . .

In the truck, Yusei and Keeo's marks were also glowing bright with a burning sensation to them.

"What's this burning about?" Yusei wondered.

. . .

Yusei came about the two women as they reached the truck. Mina and Akiza drove up and noticed no one was driving the trailer.

"Mina, bring us in closer," Akiza suggested.

"Why?" Mina asked.

"There's no way to make it stop. So I have to use my powers," Akiza stated as she activated her duel disk and summoned Rose Tentacles. "Smash that door, Rose Tentacles," she ordered and the monster began to whip the door, ultimately beginning to smash it.

"Akiza…" Mina called obviously concerned.

"It's alright. I can control it now," Akiza told her. Rose Tentacles finally cracked the door open and Jayla called to her.

The Signer of the Dragon Head pushed the right door open more as it was stuck by a groove for a moment. The truck, though, suddenly jerked forward as it sped up. The trailer continued to speed up and it began to lose control making Rose Tentacles fall off and disappear. Mina and Akiza managed to catch up with it.

"Akiza, stay there!" Jayla warned but the psychic impulsively jumped to one of the doors.

Yusei flew down and helped Jayla get their friend on the trailer safely, but the door fell off taking her duel disk with it. Mina lost their sight as the car got ruined in the process.

"Is this supposed to be some kind of rescue?" Jayla asked.

"Fine, I won't help you next time," Akiza responded. "I'll leave you…" They were cut off by the truck speeding up.

"You two can fight this out later. Right now, we need to hurry up or this truck may fall off the road at any moment," Yusei intervened.

Jayla nodded and headed towards her runner. "Hop on, Akiza," she called.

"Uh, I really don't want to. Only one person can be on it," she responded.

"More than one person can be on it," Jayla retorted. "But there's not enough time before we're dead."

Akiza slowly got on, warning her Signer friend, "If I don't return home safely, you'll be sorry for this."

Yusei took to the air and his friends were about to jump off when a mysterious duel runner appeared in front of them. "Jayla Sito, I challenge you to a duel," stated the rider with a seeming French accent.

"Are you from that group that took me?" Jayla asked she and Akiza jumped back onto the road aboard the duel runner.

As they landed, Jayla's duel runner automatically entered into autopilot duel mode. As the Signer's opponent followed after them, Jayla was forced into a turbo duel by the opponent saying, "There is a bomb attached to your duel runner and if you stop, it'll explode."

"Why recur to that?" Yusei asked tense, though he couldn't sense any electrical charges attached to his friend's duel runner making him reason there wasn't a bomb. The rider didn't respond.

The mysterious duel activated Speed World 2 and thus the three of them detoured to the dueling lanes. Yusei flew close to Jayla and Akiza.

"Hold on tight, Akiza," Jayla told her.

The duel began. _'Being close up like this… I'll be able to see Jayla's perspective when she's turbo dueling for the first time,'_ Akiza thought.

The duelist drew their card. "I summon Sacred Knight's Spearholder (Attack 800/ Defense 200) in defense position. I then set a face down and end my turn," they declared.

Jayla drew her card. "I summon Speed Warrior (Attack 900/ Defense 400) in attack mode. Now since I'm entering my battle phase, I activate Speed Warrior's effect to double its attack points during the battle phase only (Speed Warrior: Attack 1800)," she declared. "Speed Warrior, attack Sacred Knight's Spearholder!"

"I activate Floral Shield! This negates the attack and allows me to draw one card," the duelist defended.

And due to it being the end of the battle phase, Speed Warrior's effect expired, dropping its attack points to a normal 900. "I set three face downs and end my turn," Jayla finished.

The duelist drew. "I summon Horse of Floral Knights (Attack 400/ Defense 800) in attack position. And with its effect, I can draw one card from my deck," they declared. "Next I activate the Speed Spell- Overboost! This increases my speed counters by four. Next I activate the Speed Spell- Speed Fusion! This allows me to fuse Sacred Knight's Spearholder with Horse of Floral Knights in order to fusion summon, Centaur Mina (Attack 2200/ Defense 1600)! Centaur Mina, attack Speed Warrior!"

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! This negates your attack," Jayla defended.

"I activate the effect of Centaur Mina! It negates the effect of your Scrap-Iron Scarecrow and returns it to its original position," the duelist fought and their monster destroyed Speed Warrior and knocked Jayla's life points to 2700. "I set a face down and end my turn."

Jayla drew her card. "I summon Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500) in attack position and use its effect to revive Speed Warrior in defense mode with its effects negated. Now I tune Speed Warrior with Junk Synchron to synchro summon. Fight, Junk Warrior (Attack 2300/ Defense 1300)!" dhe called. "Junk Warrior, attack Centaur Mina!"

"I activate Fleur Guard! This prevents Centaur Mina from being destroyed by battle," the duelist defended though their life points did take the hit still and fell to 3900.

"I set a face down and end my turn," Jayla finished.

The duelist drew their card. "I summon Fleur Synchron (Attack 400/ Defense 200) in attack mode. Now I tune Centaur Mina with Fleur Synchron in order to synchro summon Chevalier de Fleur (Attack 2700/ Defense 2300)!" they called.

' _Even though this is just a normal duel for them, it's very different from a psychic duel too. What unusual feelings are evoking at this very moment?'_ Akiza thought.

"Since Fleur Synchron was used for a synchro summon of synchro monster, its effect activates, allowing me to special summon Apprentice Knight (Attack 1000/ Defense 100) from my hand in attack mode. Chevalier de Fleur, attack Junk Warrior!" the duelist ordered.

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow to negate the attack," Jayla defended again.

"With my Chevalier de Fleur, I can negate the effect of your Scrap-Iron Scarecrow and destroy it," the duelist fought. Junk Warrior was destroyed and Jayla's life points fell to 2300. "I activate Miracle's Wake! This revives Junk Warrior."

"I set two face downs and end my turn," the duelist stated. They then pulled to a stop. Jayla was quick to realize the bomb was just a bluff and pulled to a stop as well while Yusei landed next to her. The mysterious duelist took off their helmet to reveal a woman. "Hello, Jayla Sito. My name is Sherry."

"A female turbo duelist?" Akiza muttered surprised.

"I must apologize for the fake bomb threat," Sherry stated. "But I needed to test your skills. My goal was to have you join my team and no one else's. I have come to recruit you and with the desire to win the WRGP, as well as another motive. Our duel was a formal way of greeting. Shall we continue?" Jayla nodded.

Before they left, Jayla told Akiza, "You might want to get off my runner. This duel might get dangerous."

"No," Akiza refused. "I have to see your turbo duel to the end."

"Alright," the Dragon Head Signer agreed. They took off with Yusei flying again. She drew her card. "I summon Turbo Synchron (Attack 100/ Defense 500) in attack mode. Now I tune Junk Warrior with Turbo Synchron in order to synchro summon, Turbo Warrior (Attack 2500/ Defense 1500)! Turbo Warrior, attack Chevalier de Fleur! And due to the first effect of Turbo Warrior, the attack of your monster is halved until the end of the damage step (Chevalier de Fleur: Attack 1350)."

"I activate For Our Dreams! By tributing Apprentice Knight, I can prevent Chevalier de Fleur from being destroyed by battle," Sherry defended as her life points fell to 2750. And at the end of the damage step, Turbo Warrior's effect expired returning Sherry's monster's attack to a full 2700.

"I then activate Synchro Out! This returns Turbo Warrior to my extra deck and allows me to special summon Junk Warrior (Attack 2300/ Defense 1300) and Turbo Synchron (Attack 100/ Defense 500) from my graveyard in attack mode," Jayla fought. "And now I play Urgent Tuning! This allows me to perform a synchro summon during the battle phase."

"I activate Chevalier de Fleur to negate Urgent Tuning and destroy it!" Sherry responded. "And now I activate Chain Close! This prevents you from activating any spell or traps until the end phase."

"Turbo Synchron attack Chevalier de Fleur!" Jayla ordered. Sherry's monster was switched to defense position due to Turbo Synchron's effect but Jayla life points fell to 100. "Now I activate Turbo Synchron's effect to special summon Junk Collector (Attack 1000/ Defense 2200) from my hand in attack position. Now I activate the effect of Junk Collector. By removing it and Urgent Tuning from play, I can activate the effect of Urgent Tuning and tune Junk Warrior with Turbo Synchron once again to bring back Turbo Warrior. Now Turbo Warrior, attack Chevalier de Fleur!" The attack succeeded and Sherry's monster was destroyed.

"You may have defeated my monster but you're life points are down to 100. I'll use the effect of Speed World 2 to finish the duel. The outcome will be decided depending on what I draw," Sherry said. She drew but did not get the necessary card. "Because of this, I need you even more." Akiza and Yusei were a little shocked hearing Sherry say that. "Jayla, what is the reason for you behind dueling? Why are you entering the WRGP?"

"I want to enter the Grand Prix to find that motive," Jayla answered.

"So in the end, you are dueling without any purpose at all," Sherry concluded. "But for me, there is a motive. And that is of revenge."

 **-Flashback-**

As she was her parents' only daughter, who were also card players, they lived a life happily at the time. However, trouble and tragedy came for them as soon Sherry's father's company was being bought by a rival company. Though, having a daughter around, they tried their best not to show any signs of trouble.

But one night, everything changed. Sherry lied in her bed when gunshots were heard. She walked out to inspect the sound when she came up on a gruesome scene. Her parents along with other people were dead in the dining room.

She cried for her parents when a man, Elsworth, grabbed her. She escaped with him.

 **-Flashback Ended-**

"They are still after me," Sherry said. "After a while of travelling, I had learned that another organization was behind my parent's death, Yliaster."

"Yliaster?" Akiza repeated.

"Goodwin and Roman mentioned the name before," Yusei recalled.

"Yeah," Jayla agreed.

"Yliaster is a powerful and devious group. I discovered why they were after me. It involved a mysterious card hidden within my teddy bear and I had later discovered it by Elsworth," Sherry stated. "Yliaster is somehow involved in the World Racing Grand Prix. I want you to win so that you can come closer to the truth of what Yliaster is are really after and the reason behind my parents' death."

"He can't. Jayla had already promised to win the Grand Prix with Jack and Crow," Akiza objected. "Besides, you don't even know him."

"Are you so sure?" Sherry responded. "Due to the accelerated speed and uniqueness of our duel, I know Jayla's emotions as well as mine. Such a concept can only be understood by turbo duelists." She took her turn. "I summon Sacred Knight's Shield-Bearer (Attack 800/ Defense 1300) in defense mode. Then I activate my Shield-Bearer's effect. By removing from play Sacred Knight's Spearholder from my graveyard, I can draw one card. I set a face down and end my turn." She drew the card.

Jayla drew her own card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2. By removing seven speed counters, I can draw one card," she declared. "Next I summon Drill Synchron (Attack 800/ Defense 300)! Turbo Warrior, attack Shield-Bearer. And thanks to Drill Synchron's effect, my warrior can still inflict damage." Sherry's monster was destroyed and her life points fell to 1550. "And now I activate the last effect of Drill Synchron to draw one card."

"I activate Freedom Release! This returns all monsters on the field to our decks," Sherry fought.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," Jayla finished.

Sherry drew her card. "I summon Sacred Knight Joan (Attack 1900/ Defense 1300) in attack position. When this monster is destroyed by card effect, I will be able to add one speed spell to my hand. Sacred Knight Joan, attack Jayla directly!" she ordered. "But due to the first effect of Joan, it loses 300 attack points for the damage step only (Sacred Knight Joan: Attack 1600)."

"I activate Synchro Spirits! By removing Junk Warrior in my graveyard from play, I can special summon Speed Warrior (Attack 900/ Defense 400) and Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500) in defense position," Yusei defended. A replay occurred and Junk Synchron was destroyed. Joan's attack points also returned back to a normal 1900.

"Jayla, be careful," Yusei warned her. "She isn't an opponent to be taken lightly."

"I'll be fine, Yusei," she assured him as she drew her card. "I activate the Speed Spell- High Speed Crash! This destroys Speed Warrior and allows me to set a card. Next I activate Starlight Road! This negates High Speed Crash's effect and destroys it while also summoning Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)."

They turned as a truck suddenly came crashing down from a bridge that was above them. As that occurred, Yusei, Akiza, and Jayla, spotted a familiar figure standing on the bridge. Yusei hovered under it and used the wind to hold the truck as they passed. When they were passed, he passed through before letting it fall again.

"What are you exactly, if I heard the name correctly, Yusei?" Sherry asked. "Held a truck up with wind. It is impossible."

"It's a long story, Sherry. One best saved for when we can talk better," Yusei replied. The French woman nodded in acceptance.

They stopped on their runners and Yusei landed. Jayla and Sherry disclose upon the outcome of the duel. However, Sherry doesn't take much interest into it.

Sherry said, "The accelerated world in which we live on doesn't end here. Expect to meet again, Jayla. As well as you, Yusei. As you have also peaked my curiosity in which you may be able to help."

Yusei was a bit surprised by the comment while Sherry along with a man she introduced as Elsworth left the scene.

' _What am I dueling for?'_ Jayla thought.


	7. Room of Threads- Part 1

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 7: Room of Threads- Part 1

Yusei was silently sitting on the window sill of Jayla, Jack, and Crow's garage with the twins and Akiza waiting around a bit as the three turbo duelists continued their work on the engine. He was silent until he heard a familiar voice call, "Futen."

Yusei immediately disappeared and went out the window. Luna, however, noticed and called, "Yusei?" They all turned to see him gone and felt a bit of wind blowing lightly.

"Where do you think he's going?" Crow wondered.

"Maybe another deity called him?" Akiza guessed.

"Or maybe he heard something about this coming darkness," Jack stated. "I still feel like he knows more about it than he's letting on."

"Let's see if we can find him," Jayla stated. "See what's going on with him." They nodded and took off. They felt the breeze continuing to blow. "Follow the direction of the wind. It'll lead us straight to Yusei."

. . .

Yusei landed in the park, still invisible. He hid behind a tree before coming out visible and looking at the woman in front of him.

"What is it, Amaterasu?" Yusei asked gently. "Something wrong?"

"Izanagi believes you should show the Signers and Leo the Room of Threads," she answered.

"What? Why?" Yusei asked unsure.

"We all know that, other than Luna and Leo, they do not trust you since they cannot remember the truth of the previous timeline," Amaterasu replied. "He believes we need to show them that so they are more willing to accept your help."

"But all of us agreed unanimously that Luna should be the only one with those memories," Yusei responded. "We didn't trust what would happen if the others found out."

"I understand your concern. I feel the same. But we both know Izanagi would know much better than us on whether this would be a good choice or not," Amaterasu told him. "If he believes it is alright to be done, then we know it is alright."

. . .

Meanwhile the others arrived at the park and were listening behind a wall. "If he believes it is alright to be done, then we know it is alright," they heard a woman say.

"But the possible consequences that could come. We already have a problem with the darkness here, I don't need any Signers feeling as if they're better than anyone," Yusei responded sternly. "I do trust them, but I don't want to worry about any of them turning into something they're not."

"Futen, I understand," the woman said. "I agree that this may lead to worse decision if it isn't handled carefully. But you are Futen, God of Wind, and you were Yusei Fudo, the previous Signer of the Crimson Dragon. I know you well. You would easily be able to find a way to keep this in check."

"I know," Yusei responded, sounding like he had given in. "When does Izanagi want this to be done?"

"Tonight," the woman answered. "You know what tonight is, correct?"

"The night of the total lunar eclipse. The one night a year that with a deity's help, mortals can enter the Divine Realm," Yusei replied. "I'll bring them tonight."

"I will meet you there, Futen," the woman replied. "I believe your friends heard most of the conversation by the way."

"I know," Yusei responded bluntly. "Get back to the Divine Realm for now. I will see you later." The others soon noticed a ball of light fly up and disappear into the sky. "Alright, you guys. You can come out now." They slowly walked out. "How much did you hear?"

"Started around some guy believe something was alright to be done," Crow answered. "Mind telling us about that?"

Yusei sighed slightly. "Izanagi had Amaterasu come and tell me that he has decided to allow all of you to come to the Room of Threads tonight," he told him.

"You mean that room that allows you to see a person's life?" Leo asked.

"Yes," Yusei answered. "He wants you to see the past timeline." They went wide eyed. "The only chance you will be able to do this is tonight at the start of the total lunar eclipse. The trip there can be dangerous for a mortal, even with a god's help. Are you really willing to come and see the Room of Threads and the previous timeline?"

"I am," Crow answered while the others nodded.

Yusei nodded slowly. "Alright. I will take you at eight o'clock tonight," he told them. "I suggest you prepare yourself." He then took off back into the air with that.

"Talk about tense," Leo stated.

"Well, he did say that the other deities and him agreed to not show us because they didn't trust what would happen. If I were in his position, I would be a bit tense, too," Jayla responded. "Let's get back to the garage. We probably have quite the ride ahead tonight." They then followed Yusei's lead and took off as well.


	8. Room of Threads- Part 2

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 8: Room of Threads- Part 2

It was now eight o'clock that night. The five Signers and Leo were waiting at the garage for Yusei. They were getting a bit restless.

Suddenly, Futen's voice piped up from behind them, "If you don't want to go through with this, say so now. Once we begin the travel to the Divine Realm, there is no turning back until it is time to leave."

They flipped around to see him leaning against the wall by the hallway leading to the kitchen. "We're sure," Jayla told him.

"Take us, please," Akiza followed.

Yusei took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Get close to me," he stated and they created a tight circle around him. Wind began to swirl around them before a cocoon of torrential wind was formed and lifted them up. Before they knew anything, there was a bright light and they felt themselves speed out of the room.

There was a rough shaking that Yusei didn't seem to feel and a pulse wave was sent through them. But as quickly as the wave passed through, it disappeared and they felt warmth surround them.

The group of non-deities felt their feet gently touch the ground before the wind disappeared to let them see where they were. They were what seemed like a temple or palace high above the Earth which it seemed like they were in the outer atmosphere of the planet.

"Wow…" Luna muttered.

"Consider yourselves lucky to be here," Yusei stated and they looked at him. "No other mortal has been into the Divine Realm. You are the very firsts."

"I guess that shouldn't be too surprising," Jayla commented.

"Come on," Futen called. "I'll show you to the Room of Threads."

"Right," they agreed and followed him. They walked through halls of shining white stone and the floor was made of golden ceramic tile.

Another, older looking god walked up, greeting, "Futen."

"Izanagi," Yusei responded. "These are the six you wanted me to bring to the Room of Threads."

The god turned to them. "Hello, Signers and Leo. It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person," he greeted with a slight bow. "The Crimson Dragon has spoken very highly of you all."

"Even me?" Leo asked. "I'm not a Signer."

"But you have the heart of one, Leo," Izanagi responded calmly. "It is one of the reasons I chose you to join your sisters ranks in being an Envoy. I am Izanagi, God of Creation."

Suddenly, Amaterasu came up and greeted them with a slight bow. She looked at Yusei who nodded at her as if they had a silent conversation. She nodded back and turned back to the humans.

"My, my! I see we have a few humans here!" came a voice. They turned to see a heavily tanned man with red hair and fiery orange eyes.

"Who are you?" Jack asked.

"Kagutsuchi," he answered. "The god of fire. I'm the one still debating on making you an Envoy."

"Hmph," was all Jack responded with.

"Man, you're pretty hard headed, aren't you?" Kagutsuchi asked and Jack glared. The god laughed. "I'm kidding! I'm just joking with ya!"

"Kagutsuchi, I know you need to tend volcanoes and other fire related things," Yusei told him sternly. "Why don't you go do that?"

The God of Fire groaned in disappointment. "Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know, Futen. I'm going," he responded and hurried away seeming annoyed.

"That guy has a few screws loose," Jayla commented.

"Not really, he just is a bit wild in nature," Izanagi stated. "Not as bad as Susano-O, but a bit wild nonetheless." They gave a slow nod. "Futen, go ahead and take them to the Room of Threads. They only have so much time before they are forcefully brought back to the garage by the universal energies."

"Right," Yusei agreed. He turned to him friends. "Follow me." He nodded at Izanagi in respect for guiding the others away. As they walked, they were shocked by the number of deities they saw moving about the temple. It was unbelievable. Eventually they reached a room with a large door. On the door had a symbol in intricate, intertwining lines. Yusei set a hand on the door for a moment, before pulling back to reveal swirl symbol. It shot light across the door before it slowly opened.

They walked in and the doors closed behind them. They looked around the room to see billions of threads weaving around each other in a space line field.

"Wow…" Akiza muttered.

Yusei made a side sweeping motion with his hand and the threads changed slightly. He turned to Akiza, "Akiza, come here." She slowly stepped forward. He pulled down a Thread that was a bit larger than some of the others. "This is the Thread you had from the last timeline. It had all events from your birth to when I left being Yusei Fudo. Touch it and you'll remember everything from that timeline." She reached a bit, obviously nervous. "Keep in mind," Futen began stopping her, "this knowledge is dangerous and you will need to watch yourself to ensure it doesn't change who you are. Do you understand?" She nodded. "Go ahead and receive the memories when you are ready." She slowly nodded before touching the thread and seemingly went into a trance with distant eyes. After a few minutes, she came out of it panting slightly.

"Did… all that really happen?" she asked slowly.

"Yes," Yusei answered. "That really happened in the last timeline."

"Do you really remember all of it, Akiza?" Luna asked and the elder Signer nodded. Luna smiled happily.

"Leo, you can be next," Yusei called, putting Akiza's thread back in place while bringing another, small Thread down. The young boy walked up. "As I told Akiza, and this will apply to the rest of you, with this knowledge you will need to watch yourself and make sure you don't stray from who you truly are." Leo nodded before slowly touching the thread. After he was done, the others slowly followed, one by one. It wasn't long until Jayla was left.

"So, you said I was more of an uneventful life, right?" Jayla asked Yusei and he nodded. "If it is so uneventful, is it really worth it for me to see my past life?"

"That is up to you," Yusei replied. "If you do not wish to see your life you had before hand, I will respect that. But know that you will never be able to return here again. This will be your only chance to see your past life." There was a small moment of silence before Jayla reached out towards her thread Yusei had out. She touched it and slowly got her memories back.

When Jayla came back from her past events, she looked at Yusei and nodded. He nodded back and put the thread back in place.

"Yusei, can we see what our lives will end as at the moment?" Leo asked.

"That's something I can't do," Yusei replied. "Seeing the past is one thing, seeing possible futures is another. Besides, it's time I get you back to your world. If I don't get you back myself, universal energies will force you out, and those same energies will wipe all memories you have of being here." They nodded and walked out. It wasn't too long before they left the Divine Realm and were heading back to Earth.


	9. Answers for the Synchro

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 9: Answers for the Synchro

It had been a week since all the Signers and Leo got their memories back from the past timeline. Now, Jayla walked out of her room one morning and returned to working on the duel runner. "You're still afraid of the Meklord Emperors, aren't you?" came Yusei's voice. She flipped around to see him sitting on the window sill. His body was facing her with one foot on the sill and the other leg hanging towards the ground.

"Hey, Yusei," she greeted. "When did you get here?"

"A couple minutes ago," he answered. "I've been feeling a strange air around you for a while now. Is it about the Meklord Emperors?"

"Yeah," she answered. "If I can't use synchro monsters, how am I going to be able to face the Ghost if he ever returns? Or how am I going to be able to fight this darkness that you said is growing stronger?"

"Jayla, like it used to be with me when I was Yusei Fudo, synchro monsters are your best weapon," Yusei replied. "You shouldn't give up on them. They will still be able to help you, even if you don't realize it yet."

"But…" she trailed off.

"I know it's hard to see since that monster can absorb them, but soon enough you'll be able to discover that there are synchros out there that can help you," Yusei told her gently. "You'll learn this tonight at the WRGP announcement party."

"I understand," Jayla responded. "Speaking of the announcement party, are you coming?"

Yusei gave a nervous laugh. "I'll be there, but you won't be able to see me," he answered.

Jayla raised an eyebrow. "Why?" she asked tense.

Yusei sighed. "The announcement party will have a lot of reporters and people asking questions from people who will be entering the tournament," he began. "How would I explain who I am when the only record of a Yusei Fudo is a child that died in the Zero Reverse incident at age one? If people saw your team with a person with only history being death records, people wouldn't feel comfortable around any of you, would they?"

"I guess not," she answered. "But what about Luna and Leo? I'm guessing they'll feel more comfortable with you around."

"I'll be nearby, Jayla. You just won't see me," he responded kindly.

"Do you know anymore about this darkness?" Jayla asked.

"Not a lot. I do know the Ghost was the beginning steps of its reveal," Yusei answered. "I do get the feeling that the World Racing Grand Prix will be a part of its final steps."

"Why do you think that?" she asked.

"Just as the World Racing Grand Prix is announced and is nearing, this powerful darkness shows itself and begins to attack with the Ghost," Yusei replied. "And the Ghost was attacking with turbo duels, the very type of dueling in the WRGP. There are connections between this darkness, Ghost, and World Racing Grand Prix that are hard to ignore."

Jayla nodded. "If I'm understanding you right, the WRGP may have something to do with this darkness then," she responded.

"Keep in mind, it is just a feeling so it could be wrong. But it's a feeling I have that I can't ignore," he told her.

"If a god feels like that about this, I think the chances of it being wrong are quite low," Jayla told him. He nodded in acceptance. "So, you said I'll be learning a new way to stop the Meklord Emperors today at the party?" He nodded again. "I hope it'll help."

"I hope so as well," Yusei agreed quietly.

"How have the twins been? I know you stick around them quite a bit," Jayla asked.

"They're doing fine. They're in Duel Academy right now," he answered.

"Out of curiosity, why are you sticking around them so much?" she asked.

"I don't want either of them to get hurt to this darkness. I've been sticking by them in case something comes at them," Yusei explained.

"You make it sound like you know something will come after them," Jayla retorted.

"Izanagi warned me that at some point a man called Lester will attack the twins," Yusei answered shocking her. "I'm not certain when or where, just that it will eventually happen."

"Should we warn them?" Jayla asked.

"I would after the party," Yusei answered. "Besides, you also need to focus on getting Akiza ready for getting her turbo duel license."

Jayla smirked. "Right," she agreed before turning back to the duel runner with Yusei watching her, debating on trying to help her at some points as well.

. . .

Later that night, the WRGP announcement party was beginning. Jack had said he would meet them there and none of them really knew what he was planning, but none of them bothered to ask either.

At the moment, Crow and Jayla met Akiza, Leo, and Luna who had arrived at the party area dressed up. Yusei was watching silently in the air, making sure there was no wind at the moment.

They entered the room and were soon met with Jack. Crow struggled not to laugh at him outfit; While, Jayla asked, "What are you wearing?"

"Thought I should get a bit dressed up for this occasion," Jack replied. Crow sighed and Yusei knew the money it probably cost to get that thing made. And it did look quite ridiculous in his opinion.

That's when a voice called to them, "Hey, there!" They turned to a member of another team. "You're from another team, aren't you?"

"Yeah, who are you?" Jayla asked.

"My name's Andre. Me and my team are participating in the tournament too," he greeted. "You're Jayla Sito, right?"

"Yep," she answered.

"I heard you won the Fortune Cup. Very nice. I can't wait to see how you duel in this tournament," Andre responded. "Anyway, I should probably get back to my team. We'll see you in the tournament." He then walked away.

Yusei turned along with Jayla as someone passed by her, saying in a low whisper, "You'll find what you're looking for." But he then disappeared before the female Signer could get a good look at him.

Suddenly someone rammed into the party and a man on the huge duel runner demanded, "Listen here! I'm Dobocle and if you want this tournament to run smoothly, you're going to give me half of the prize money!"

Some Sector Security officers came up to arrest him but he dodged them and continued to wreak havoc on the party.

"Akiza," Luna called.

"Right," Akiza responded and summoned her Signer dragon which tossed him out the door. Yusei immediately used his power to fix the walls and windows as if they had never been destroyed.

Suddenly, another Ghost appeared and challenged Dobocle to a duel. The man accepted and they rode off. Yusei followed the others as they took off when a man appeared making everyone stop. "Hello, Jayla," the man greeted.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"You can call me Vizor. You cannot beat the Ghost in your current condition," the man said.

"Huh?" Jayla responded.

"I know an alternate strategy to beat the Ghost. If you want to know it, you'll have to follow me in a turbo duel," Vizor replied.

"Fine," Jayla agreed. She then took off with the man to duel him.

"I don't like this. Especially since Jayla's dueling someone we don't know," Akiza stated.

"It's fine. It _is_ Jayla we're talking about," Leo responded.

"Yusei accepted the duel because he saw something in this Vizor guy," Crow stated.

Yusei then flew to get a better view of the duel while the others followed Jayla by their vehicles.

Jayla took the first turn and drew her card. "I summon Tricular (Attack 300/ Defense 300) in defense mode and set one card face down."

"Since you control a monster and I don't, I can special summon Tech Genus Striker (Attack 800/ Defense 0) from my hand in attack mode. Next since I special summoned a level four or below monster, I can special summon my Tech Genus Warwolf (Attack 1200/ Defense 0). Now I tune Tech Genus Warwolf with Tech Genus Striker in order to synchro summon, Tech Genus Power Gladiator (Attack 2300/ Defense 1000)!" Vizor declared. "Next I normal summon Tech Genus Cyber Magician (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack mode. Now with the effect of Cyber Magician, I can tune it with the Tech Genus Rush Rhino in my hand to synchro summon. Come forth, Tech Genus Wonder Magician (Attack 1900/ Defense 0)! Tech Genus Gladiator, attack Tricular! And due to its effect, you still take the damage." Jayla's monster was destroyed as her life points fell to 2000.

"I activate Tricular's effect! When it's destroyed, I can special summon Bicular (Attack 200/ Defense 200) in defense mode!" Jayla fought.

"Tech Genus Wonder Magician, attack Bicular!" Vizor ordered.

The attack succeeded in destroying Bicular but Jayla activated its effect to summon Unicycular (Attack 100/ Defense 100) in defense position.

' _Watch it, Jayla,'_ Yusei thought.

She drew her card to begin her turn. "I activate the Speed Spell- Synchro Defuse. This allows me to take control of Tech Genus Power Gladiator until the end phase," she played.

"I don't think so. I tune Tech Genus Power Gladiator with Tech Genus Wonder Magician!" Vizor declared.

"You're synchro summoning during my turn?!" Jayla exclaimed shocked. _'Is this the new synchro summon Yusei told me about?'_ she thought.

"I Accel synchro summon!" Vizor declared before he sped so fast that he disappeared from sight. In the next moment, he appeared again with a new monster on his field. "Arise, Tech Genus Blade Blaster (Attack 3300/ Defense 2200)!"

' _And since Power Gladiator is no longer on the field, Synchro Defuse's effect is negated,'_ Yusei thought.

"Then I activate the Speed Spell- Angel Baton! This allows me to draw two cards as long as I send one card to the graveyard," Jayla declared. "Now I normal summon Drill Synchron (Attack 800/ Defense 300) in attack mode. And next I activate the effect of Quillbolt Hedgehog. Since there is a tuner monster on my field, I can summon it to the field from my graveyard (Attack 800/ Defense 800). Now I tune Unicycular and Quillbolt Hedgehog with Drill Synchron to synchro summon. Rise, Drill Warrior (Attack 2400/ Defense 2000)! Now I activate the effect of Drill Warrior. By cutting its attack points in half until the end phase, I can attack you directly. So Drill Warrior, attack!" The attack his and Vizor's life points fell to 2800. "I set a face down and end my turn." And because it was the end phase, Drill Warrior's attack points returned to a normal 2400.

Vizor drew. "Tech Genus Blade Blaster, attack Drill Warrior!" he ordered.

"I activate Wave Force to destroy your Blade Blaster!" Jayla defended.

"I activate Blade Blaster's effect. By discarding one card, I can negate your trap and destroy it," Vizor defended. The attack continued, destroying her monster and dropping the Signer's life points to 1100.

"I activate Miracle's Wake! This allows me to special summon Drill Warrior back from my graveyard," Jayla declared.

"I end my turn," Vizor finished.

Jayla drew her card. "I activate the Speed Spell- Speed Energy! This increases Drill Warrior's attack by the number of speed counters I have times 200 (Drill Warrior: Attack 3200)," she declared. "Next I normal summon Gauntlet Warrior (Attack 400/ Defense 1600) in attack mode and activate its effect. By tributing it, Drill Warrior gains 500 attack and defense points until the end of the next damage step (Drill Warrior: Attack 3700/ Defense 2500). Drill Warrior, attack Tech Genus Blade Blaster!"

"I activate the second effect of Blade Blaster! This removes it from play until the end phase," Vizor declared. Jayla attacked again with Drill Warrior, and with it being a direct attack, Vizor's life points fell to 0.

They all pulled to a stop and Jayla asked, "You threw the duel. Why?"

"I can't reveal everything all at once," Vizor answered. Yusei landed next to Jayla, turning visible again. "Perhaps your friend will help you learn what you need to know. The Accel Synchro." He then took off with that.

The others rode up and Akiza asked, "What did he say?"

"He said I needed to figure out a synchro summoning called Accel Synchro," Jayla answered, confusing the others a bit. They then took off with that.


	10. Acceleration of the Heart

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 10: Acceleration of the Heart

The next day, Yusei helped Jayla, Jack, and Crow finish up the engine of a duel runner. The three Signers were a bit shocked at how well Yusei worked with mechanics. And they weren't sure whether it was because he was billions year old god or because he just know mechanics from the last timeline.

A knock came at the door just as they finished and Akiza walked in wearing a leather, riding outfit.

"Hey, Akiza," Yusei greeted. "Ready for your test?"

"I'm a bit nervous that I won't make it," she admitted.

"You'll do great, Akiza," Jayla told her. "We made this duel runner for you. It's assembled from parts obtained from a junkyard but it should be enough for your test."

"Thanks," Akiza responded. "I definitely have to get my license now."

They talked a bit more before Crow and Jack had to go out, Crow for a delivery and Jack for coffee, and Akiza needed to head back to Duel Academy for class.

Later on, Akiza came asking for help with balancing and riding backwards and Jayla took her to a skating ring for it. The twins and Yusei followed.

"Is this a date?" Leo questioned.

Yusei smirked as Jayla was trying to help Akiza learn how to skate and Luna replied, "Yep, it's a date."

 **(A/N: Yes, I just did that; and yes, I am a supporter to gay rights and all that stuff. And I swear to god, if I get any comments saying how wrong it is, I will not be afraid to report it. All people should have the ability to be themselves, so accept that I feel that way and don't try to argue it with me. It's how I feel, you have how you feel, leave it at that. No arguing in the reviews about whether gays should be killed because religious things like the Bible says that it's wrong. Don't. Test. Me. Now back to story!)**

Yusei knew Akiza didn't know how to roller skate from what he had seen after returning to being a god and didn't bother to warn Jayla. He wanted to see how she handled it.

When they were finished and Akiza needed to head back, Jayla came to Yusei and asked, "Did you know she couldn't roller skate?"

"Yes," he answered with a small grin. "I knew after I returned to being a god."

"Why didn't you tell him?" Luna asked.

"I wanted to see how he would handle the situation," Yusei answered and Jayla gave me an annoyed look. Leo and Luna laughed a bit at it making her sigh in defeat. "Let's get going."

. . .

The next day, Yusei and Jayla worked on Akiza's duel runner for a bit. Jack and Crow had helped but not being too skilled in mechanics couldn't do much. Crow was a bit more of a help, considering he made his own duel runner.

Akiza stopped by just as they finished and was shocked and happy that they had remodeled it for her. "Thanks, guys," she told the other Signer and the god of wind.

"Jack and Crow helped too. But they had to go somewhere," Jayla informed her psychic friend.

"I'll definitely get my license. After all the effort you guys have put into it, I can't let you down," she said.

"You're our friend, Akiza," Yusei told her. "You don't need to thank us." Jayla nodded in agreement with a small grin.

"Speaking of your license, you're getting the final exam to get it today, right?" Jayla asked.

"Yeah," Akiza answered.

"We'll be there watching and cheering you on," Jayla told her. She nodded with a small smile.

"Why don't you take the new duel runner for a spin?" Yusei suggested

Akiza gave a confident grin and pulled it out. Jayla drove on her runner and Yusei took flight behind the psychic who rode her duel runner smoothly.

"Feel good?" Yusei asked Akiza.

"Yeah," she answered. "Feels a lot smoother and stable."

Jayla drove up closer to her. "Good," she told her. "It should be easier to ride."

Akiza's watch went off. "Oh! I need to get to the exam," she stated.

"Perfect timing then," Jayla said making her laugh and Yusei grin.

They drove off with Yusei following by flight to the Duel Academy's riding field. When they arrived, they were met by Jack, Leo, Luna, and Crow. Yusei also noticed three previous students that he remember Akiza telling him they didn't like her because she succeeded over them.

They turned as another guy crashed before the duel even commenced. Yusei was tempted to go help them but knew it wasn't his place and the guy was already getting up fine.

Yusei attention was taken back to the others when Jack asked Akiza, "So who's in charge of the exam?"

"That would be me," Trudge stated walking up.

"You're in charge of the exam?" Crow asked.

"Didn't really expect that to be something you would do," Yusei told him.

Trudge smirked. "Learn something new every day. Figured that must be true ever since I found out there were actual gods that weren't just myth," he stated glancing around Yusei who shrugged with a grin. "Anyway," he turned back to Akiza, "because of the World Racing Grand Prix, the amount of people requesting a license has increased way up. So, in order you to pass the exam and obtain one, you have to defeat me in a turbo duel."

Yusei noticed Jayla was a bit worried as was everyone else but he stay relatively calm. He knew Akiza could do this. Just like a new envoy, starting out is difficult and it's hard to get people to believe you; but you get the hang of it eventually and people will back you up.

"Now I won't go easy on you, Akiza," Trudge said.

"I don't want you to," she responded and they soon left for the duel.

The others sat in their seats in the stands with Yusei sitting a couple rows behind them, Jack sitting behind us and the twins and Crow sitting to the left of Jayla. Up further to the right and behind them were the three guys who had a devious smirk. Yusei didn't like it very much, he knew they were planning something bad. He turned back as the duel started.

Akiza took the first turn and drew his card. "I summon Revival Rose (Attack 1300/ Defense 1300) in defense mode," she declared. "Next I activate the Speed Spell…" she stopped as she didn't have enough speed counter to use her spell.

' _Remember the speed counters, Akiza,'_ Yusei thought. Though he didn't turbo duel anymore, he still remembered the rules and everything in between like he hadn't ever stopped.

Akiza shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I end my turn," she finished.

Trudge drew his card. "I summon Stygian Street Patrol (Attack 1600/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. Stygian Street Patrol attack, Revival Rose!" he ordered and the attack hit destroying Akiza monsters. "And now its effect activates, inflicting damage to you equal to the level of your monster times 100." Akiza's life points fell to 3600 with the blow. "I end my turn with one face down."

Akiza drew her card. "I summon Twilight rose Knight (Attack 1000/ Defense 1000) in attack mode and activate its effect. This allows me to special summon my Lord Poison (Attack 1500/ Defense 1000) in attack mode. Now I tune Lord Poison with Twilight Rose Knight in order to synchro summon. Appear, Black Rose Dragon (Attack 2400/ Defense 1800)! Black Rose Dragon, attack Stygian Street Patrol!" she ordered. The attack succeeded in destroying Trudge's monster and bringing his life points down to 3200.

"I activate Final Penalty! This destroys your dragon and inflicts damage to you equal to half the attack of my Street Patrol," Trudge fought and Akiza's dragon was destroyed as said and her life points fell to 2800.

"I activate the effect of Revival Rose to bring itself back in defense mode," Akiza continued. "I then place two cards face down and end my turn."

Trudge drew to begin his turn. "I activate the effect of Stygian Patrol. By removing it from play from my graveyard, I can special summon another Stygian Street Patrol in attack mode. Next I normal summon Stygian Security (Attack 100/ Defense 600)," he declared. "Next I tune Stygian Street Patrol with Stygian Security in order to synchro summon, Stygian Sergeants (Attack 2200/ Defense 1800)! Now Stygian Sergeants, attack Revival Rose!" The attack destroyed Akiza monster. "And now since it destroyed your monster by battle, I can activate Stygian Sergeants' effect. This increases its attack by 800 (Stygian Sergeants: Attack 3000) in attack mode and allows it to attack again. So, Stygian Sergeants, attack Akiza directly!"

"I activate Offensive Guard! This halves the attack of Stygian Sergeants until the end phase (Stygian Sergeants: Attack 1500) and I can draw one card," Akiza defended. The attack continued and Akiza's life points dropped to 1300. "And now since we're entering the end of the battle phase, you monster's effect expires (Stygian Sergeants: Attack 700)."

"I activate the Speed Spell- Speed Demon! This inflicts 1000 points of damage at you," Trudge fought and Akiza's life points fell to 300. "And on my next standby phase, I can add Speed Spell- Speed Demon from my graveyard to my hand by removing three of my speed counters. I'll end my turn with one face down." And since it was the end phase, Offense Guard's effect expires returning Stygian Sergeants to a full 2200.

Akiza drew her card. "I summon Witch of the Black Rose (Attack 1700/ Defense 1200) in attack mode and activate its effect which allows me to draw one card," she declare and drew her card. "And since I drew a monster, Witch of the Black Rose is not destroyed."

"I activate Climatic Barricade! Since you normal summoned a monster, all monsters level four and below can't attack this turn. And you'll be taking 500 points of damage for everyone level four of below monster you control during your end phase," Trudge played.

"I activate the Speed Spell- Summon Speeder to summon Dark Verger (Attack 0/ Defense 1000) in attack mode. Now I tune Dark Verger with Witch of the black Rose to synchro summon. Bloom, Splendid Rose (Attack 2200/ Defense 2000) in attack mode. And now I activate the effect of Splendid Rose. By removing from play Dark Verger from my graveyard, I can halve the attack points of Stygian Sergeants until the end phase (Stygian Sergeants: Attack 1100). Now Splendid Rose, attack Stygian Sergeants!" she ordered. The attack succeeded in destroying the monster and dropping Trudge's life points to 2100. "And now I activate Blossom Bombardment! This inflicts damage equal to half the attack points of Stygian Sergeants straight at you." Trudge's life points dropped again to 1000. "And now I activate the second effect of Splendid Rose! By removing Lord Poison from play, I can halve Splendid Rose's attack points (Splendid Rose: Attack 1100) and it can attack again!"

Just as she was about to win, an explosion hit a frame holding large pipes. The pipes came crashing down after Trudge had passed them. Yusei could see everyone were all extremely concerned by what was happening except the three guys. After a few, tense moments, Akiza came riding out of the dust fine. Yusei released a relieving breath that he didn't know he was holding. He knew he could've helped a bit, but he knew the others wouldn't want him to since it would mean revealing himself to everyone here.

Yusei turned back to the duel as Akiza caught up, much to Trudge's surprise. "Splendid Rose, attack Trudge directly and end this!" she ordered. The attack hit making Akiza the winner.

The duel ended and they both stopped. "Nicely done, Akiza," Trudge praised.

Her friends all ran down to meet her as Trudge handed her the license. She turned to us. Jayla offered a hand which Akiza took with Jayla saying, "Welcome to the world of turbo dueling."

"Thanks," she responded. Yusei gave her a smile before they all left the Academy.


	11. Darkness Behind the Mask

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 11: Darkness Behind the Mask

It was a couple weeks after Akiza had gotten her license. Yusei could feel that the incident with Leo, Luna, and this mysterious Lester Izanagi had warned him about was nearing. And he didn't like it at all. He was keeping a close eye on Leo and Luna, even if they didn't know it.

At the moment, Jayla was dueling Akiza. Yusei was watching from the sidelines with Leo and Luna.

"I activate Junk Archer's effect!" Jayla played. "This removes your Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis from play until the end phase." Akiza's monster disappeared from the field when the archer's arrow hit the plant. "Now Junk Archer, attack Akiza directly!" Junk Archer shot another arrow, hitting a part of Akiza's runner as her life points fell to 1700. Akiza started to lose balance on her duel runner. "Easy, Akiza. Don't try to control it by force. Put more weight into it," Jayla told her. Akiza followed the instructions and regained her grip and balance. As the two turbo duelists passed, Leo and Luna waved to Akiza.

"Akiza's really gotta the hang of turbo dueling, huh?" Luna commented.

"Yeah," Leo agreed. "I want to turbo duel too!"

"You turbo dueling?" Luna responded before laughing. "I won't say it."

"You don't have to laugh so much," Leo told her embarrassed a bit.

"Don't worry, Leo. If you keep your mind to it, you'll become a turbo duelist," Yusei told the boy. "While I was in the Satellite as Yusei and it was the same with Jayla, it took a lot of determination for us to become a turbo duelist. And look how far Jayla came and how far I had come in the past timeline. So just keep your determination to turbo duel up."

Leo smiled. "Okay!" he agreed.

"Yusei, do you really think he'll be able to?" Luna whispered to him.

"Yeah. I know he has a hard time at Duel Academy. But when he dueled Haley, what won him his duel was that he believed in his deck and in himself. So if he ever seems to be struggling, remind him to believe in himself for me, okay?" he replied.

"Right," she agreed. She looked down a bit.

"Is something wrong, Luna?" Yusei asked.

"I'm worried about you. With you being a god in a mortal world now, I'm worried people will try to…" she trailed off.

"I'll be fine, Luna. I promise. No one can kill me as easily as that," he reassured her. He then said a bit louder so Leo could hear, "But I am worried about you two." They looked at him confused. "Something big will happen between you two soon. I can't give much on details, but I will warn you to watch for a boy named Lester. He will appear friendly, but on the inside, his intentions are anything but."

"Alright, we'll watch out for him," Leo assured Yusei. The god gave them an approving smile which he returned in an instant.

"Besides, if anything happens, I'll be watching you in case I need to protect you," Yusei told the twins.

"Yusei, you don't need to protect us all the time," Luna told him. "You'll only get hurt."

"Luna, as a god, it is my job to protect all mortals and _especially_ our envoys," Yusei responded gently. "I can't let anything happen to you." They looked at him seeming nervous still. "Don't worry, you guys, I'll be alright."

. . .

Meanwhile, Lester, Primo, and Jakob were sitting on their thrones watching Jayla and Akiza's duel.

"This is lame. I had thought the circuits would start up since it's a duel between two Signers," Lester said.

"Not enough power, it seems," Jakob responded. "Still, we mustn't be impatient. It will all start with the World Racing Grand Prix. Only once all of the circuits are completed by the WRGP, will the great power we desire, the power enveloping this world will be unleashed."

"Will things really go that smoothly?" Primo asked. Jakob looked at him. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about the Crimson Dragon's existence. Goodwin's plan failed because the Crimson Dragon. As long as the Signers are around, I can't see our plans proceeding as scheduled."

"What's your point?" Lester asked.

Primo pointed at Jayla. "I will defeat her and steal Stardust Dragon. If we just steal Stardust Dragon, the Crimson Dragon can't muddle up our plans," he replied.

"How do you suppose to do that? You couldn't beat Jayla before," Lester responded. He laughed silently. "Besides, you could just take Yusei. He would be a much better target for you."

"We still need his power to complete our plan," Jakob stated. "We will take the god of wind soon enough."

"It's here!" the smallest emperor suddenly exclaimed. "It's my tablet! I've been waiting for you! I knew Primo wouldn't be able to do this on his own!" Lester silently laughed sinisterly while the other two didn't make any other comments.

. . .

Yusei helped Jayla with the engine in the garage with everyone watching.

"Hey, did you hear about the meteorite?" Crow asked. They looked at him.

"Meteorite?" Jayla repeated.

"Everyone's talking about the meteorite that hit the outskirts of New Domino. By what I've heard, it's raising a big stink," Crow explained.

"So that rumbling a while ago was a meteorite?" Leo responded.

"The Ghost appeared right after a meteorite crashed around the last time," Jayla commented.

"Right," Yusei agreed.

"Is the same thing going to happen this time too?" Akiza asked.

"I'm not sure. But it seems like some kind of warning," Yusei responded.

"Yeah," Jayla agreed. "It can't be good, though."

"Why don't we go check it out?" Crow suggested which everyone agreed to.

When they arrived, they came to find a horde of people were gathered around the area.

Crow walked up to one of them and asked, "What's going on? We want to see the meteor."

"Sorry, dude. Security's got the place locked up and anything passed this point is off-limits," the man explained.

We walked over and Leo said, "We're too late."

"Jayla?" Akiza called.

"Yeah," she agreed with Leo's statement. "We're too late for anything now."

"Too late for you guys," Yusei stated. "I'll see what I can figure out from the air."

"Why are you so desperate to figure out what this meteor is?" Crow asked.

"Because whatever is in that crater… has a lot of dark energy swirling inside of it," Yusei answered slowly, shocking and worrying them. He disappeared before taking off into the air.

He flew above and saw a giant stone tablet in the center of the crater. He landed a bit far off since he noticed three men approaching it, one smaller one that seemed quite young was running towards it excitedly.

' _Who are they?'_ Yusei thought. The smaller one touched the tablet before a bright light flashed and dimmed. When it was gone, the men were walking away with the small person holding a deck in their hand. _'That deck… it's filled with darkness. And I sense another one like it with one of the other two. Are those men the source of this powerful darkness?'_ When the men were well gone, Futen neared the tablet still invisible and touched it lightly. But as he did, a black bolt of electricity shot him back, luckily he was able to keep his invisibility up. He sat up. _'Whatever that thing is, it can't be good.'_

Yusei flew back over to his friends who were waiting. "What's the meteor?" Crow asked.

"It's not a meteor. It's a stone tablet," Yusei answered.

"A stone tablet?" Luna questioned.

Yusei nodded. "It was surrounded with that powerful darkness. Three men came up to it. One big, older one, one average sized and middle aged one, and one small, kid. The kid seemed excited and touched the meteor. When he did, there was this bright light and when it dimmed the kid had this deck of cards. It seemed like the darkness on the tablet had moved into the deck for the most part. One of the other men had a similar darkness with them. When I got closer and was about to touch the tablet to figure it out, it shot this dark bolt of electricity at me and threw me back. Whatever that tablet is or what those men got are, they aren't good."

"Think they're tied to the Meklord Emperors?" Jayla asked.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Yusei answered. "And that means, this fight just got a lot more dangerous."

. . .

The next morning, Ms. Barttlet walked into her classroom at the Duel Academy and was greeted by her students.

"Good morning. Today, I'll be introducing a new friend to everyone. Come on in." A young boy walked in with long brown hair. "He just transferred here."

"Hi, my name is Lester. I'm pleased to meet you," he greeted. Both Leo and Luna froze at the name.

"Uh, is it that same Lester that Yusei warned us about?" Leo whispered.

"I think," Luna replied. "Maybe if I hang out with him, I can find a way to get some information off of him."

"Uh… but…" Leo began but looked as Lester looked at Luna.

He smiled and whispered to her, "Hi." Luna turned her head a bit of faked a blush.

Leo looked annoyed at the fact. _'What's his deal? Talk about creepy,'_ he thought.

"Everyone is familiar with the Juvenile Grand Prix that takes place at the Duel Academy east branch, right?" Ms. Barttlet continued.

Bob raised his hand and said, "It's a tournament that's said to be tough to even enter."

"Right. And I heard Lester won that tournament," Ms. Barttlet told them.

"Cute _and_ he can duel?" Patty responded surprised.

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask Lester. I'm sure it will help you in your studies," Ms. Barttlet suggested.

"Yes, ma'am!" the class agreed.

Luna turned to Leo when he said, "Luna, I don't want you going after Lester alone like this. If even Yusei, a _god_ , warned us about him…"

"I'll be fine, Leo. It's just to see if I can get any information off of him," Luna responded. "Maybe it can help Yusei and the others."

"Alright," Leo gave in. He looked at Lester as everyone focused on class, _'Him winning, my foot. I can probably finish him in one shot. Even Yusei hasn't seen him duel.'_

. . .

Leo yelled as Lester commanded Gear Golem the Moving Fortress to attack Morphtronic Videon. Morphtronic Videon was destroyed causing Leo's remaining 600 life points to drop down to zero as he fell to the ground.

"Lester wins!" Ms. Barttlet called.

"Nice combo," Patty said.

"That's a veteran champion for you. Leo and Lester are on two different levels," Bob responded. Leo got annoyed hearing this.

"It's not a big deal," Lester told them.

"Well next up to duel is Bob and Luna," Ms. Barttlet called.

Luna ran passed Lester and told him, "Good job."

"Good luck, Luna," he told her.

Luna stopped and turned to him, blushing slightly. "Thanks," she responded. She then ran off again, thinking, _'If I could only get information off him now.'_

' _Now show me how a real Signer duels,'_ Lester thought.

The duel between Luna and Bob started with Luna going first. "First I summon Sunlight Unicorn and set two faces down. Uh, I think that's it for now," she played. Bob began his turn while Lester became a bit suspicious.

After the duel, Luna was walking and Lester caught up to her. "Lester," she greeted.

"What happened in your duel just now?" he asked confusing her. "With your skills, it shouldn't have taken more than a minute to beat someone like that."

"Wait," she began but Lester cut her off.

"Are you not feeling well?" he asked.

"T-That's… not it. It was truthfully my skills. Now, I'm in a hurry. I have to go," Luna said walking away calling back, "Bye!"

"She's hiding her true identity as a Signer here, is she? I have a plan then," Lester quietly commented to himself.

. . .

Leo and Luna walked into the garage while Jayla and Yusei worked on the duel runner. Jayla was appreciating Yusei's help and input. It was making things a lot easier. They turned to the twins.

"Hey, guys," Jayla greeted. "How was Duel Academy?"

"Uh, problem with a new kid," Leo answered.

"Why kind of problem?" Yusei asked.

"Well, um…" Luna muttered. "His name is Lester." The two of them were immediately on alert, Yusei especially. Yusei had also warned Jayla of what he was told by Izanagi, so she knew what was coming. "He also acted really friendly to me. Added, he acted like he knew I wasn't trying my best at Duel Academy."

"Do you two really think it's him?" Yusei asked. They nodded.

"You guys should stay clear of him then," Jayla told them. "Yusei told me everything that he was told by Izanagi. I'm not sure you should even talk to him."

"Like I said, he's been acting really sweet and kind to me, which is strange," Luna added. "I was going to try to get closer to him. See if I could get any more information about what is going on."

"Luna, I don't like that idea," Yusei responded. "That guy is dangerous. You could get seriously hurt."

"I want to do this, Yusei. I want to help you guys fight these people too," Luna responded.

"Alright," Yusei gave in.

"Just don't do anything reckless. Keep yourself as subtle as possible," Jayla told the young Signer. "One mess up and you could be seriously hurt. We don't want that."

"Right," Luna agreed.

"Leo, keep an eye on her whenever she's around him," Yusei told the boy. "So we know she's safe. And let us know anything you find out."

"Alright," Leo agreed. "Now I think I should get home. See ya!" He then left.

"What happened?" Jayla asked noticing how Leo's attitude was a bit off color.

"I think Leo's a bit angry because he lost to Lester," Luna explained.

"What kind of deck did Lester use?" Yusei asked.

"A machine deck," she answered.

Yusei and Jayla looked at each other. Jayla looked back at Luna. "Alright, thanks. You should better get back to your brother," she told her.

"Right," she agreed.

Luna turned to leave when Yusei said, "And Luna," she looked at him, "be very careful." She nodded and walked out.

"Do you think it's the same Lester?" Jayla asked Yusei.

"Yeah," he answered. "As much as I wish otherwise. But, I'm sure she'll be fine. We just have to trust her."

"I know,"Jayla agreed.

. . .

The next day, Leo and Luna walked towards Duel Academy while saying "good morning" to some of their classmates.

"Luna," called Lester and she turned to face them while Leo looked annoyed. They walked up to him. "Good morning. I've been waiting for you."

"You have?" she responded.

"I wanted to speak to you about something," he replied.

"Me?" Luna asked a bit curious but still faked her liking to the boy.

"Yeah," Lester answered with a nod.

"No, you don't," Leo tried to intervene.

"Do you have time after school?" Lester asked Luna.

"Nope, absolutely not," Leo replied, waving his hands up and trying to stop it.

Lester ignored him and continued, "Would you like to come over to my house? There's something I want to show you."

"What is it?" Luna asked genuinely curious and interested.

"You'll find out after you come over," Lester replied.

Leo stepped in front of Luna and said, "She can't. We have plans after school, so we'll be busy."

"I am talking to Luna. Would you mind not cutting in?" Lester asked sternly.

"Luna and I are always together. If I say no, then it's no for her as well!" Leo retorted and grabbed Luna hand and walked away with an annoyed look saying, "Let's go."

"Leo, stop pulling," Luna called. She waved to Lester. "Sorry, Lester. My brother's a bit… protective." When they entered the Academy, Leo looked annoyed. "Leo, I'm trying to get close to get information, remember?"

"I know. It's just…" he trailed off.

"I know you're worried but I need to do this. How about when I'm over at Lester's, you can come and watch? Then you can tell Yusei, Jayla and the guys what you've found," Luna suggested. "Like they suggested yesterday."

"Alright," Leo agreed.

. . .

Later, Leo and Bob were walking through the hall when Ms. Barttlet stepped in front of Leo. "Leo, do you mind staying after school? I have something I want you to do," she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Leo replied.

"I appreciate it," Ms. Barttlet told him walking passed the two students.

. . .

It was the end of the day and Luna was saying goodbye to Bob and Patty before they went their separate directions. Luna turned as a honk was heard to face the direction of the noise. A black limousine pulled up to Luna and the third window opened to reveal Lester.

"Hey, Luna," he greeted.

"What're you doing in a limo?" Luna asked.

"My parents are pretty wealthy. You're not with Leo?" Lester replied. "Do you want a ride?"

"I'm not sure," Luna replied.

"We'll go to my house. I did have that something to show you," Leo responded.

"Oh, okay. Since you went through so much trouble," Luna agreed and got into the car with him.

. . .

Leo waited for Ms. Barttlet for a while. "She sure is taking her time," he muttered. "What could she be doing?" The teacher walked by her classroom and noticed Leo. "Ms. Barttlet!"

"What're you doing staying so late?" she asked. "You shouldn't be here. Hurry and go home." She then walked away.

Leo left alert after that.

. . .

Luna and Lester entered the gates to a large mansion. "Wow, it's amazing, Lester," Luna said. _'How much longer will I have to keep this up? I'm starting to get a really bad feeling about all this,'_ she thought but knew it wasn't the right time to try to get information off of him. She then added to her comment before, "It's like a palace. You must be really rich."

"You could say that," Lester responded.

The limousine stopped and a butler greeted Lester, "Welcome back, young master."

"Hello," Lester responded.

"Uh, hi. I'm just visiting," Luna greeted politely. Lester walked by the butler and said, "Can you make some sweets and tea for our guest?"

"Without delay, sir," the butler responded.

Meanwhile Leo headed towards Lester's mansion. _'Lester was after Luna from the very start,'_ he thought. He quickly arrived at the mansion and Leo climbed up and over the bars.

He hit behind a tree and quickly moved closer. He started walking behind a bush when he stopped, hearing Luna's voice. Leo looked up and was surprised when he saw Lester jumping in the air with some kind of skate board.

"Amazing, Lester!" Luna praised as Lester continued to show off by jumping and doing tricks. "That's amazing!"

Lester stopped next to her and got off. "Now you try it," he told her.

"I couldn't, not yet," Luna responded nervously.

"I made it to match your body type," Lester told her, surprising the young Signer. "It's my little present. Please take it."

Luna took it and said, "Thanks. But why give it to me?"

"I want to duel you on duel board in a serious turbo duel," he replied.

"Turbo duel?" Luna repeated confused.

' _What does Lester mean?'_ Leo wondered still hiding.

"By inserting the cord here and connecting this plug here to the momentum, it can link up with your duel disk," Lester explained as he plugged it in and connecting the wire to Luna's duel disk.

"You're right," Luna responded.

"Let's get started. I'll show you how to ride it," Lester said.

"Right," Luna agreed. _'I have a bad feeling about this,'_ she thought but didn't let it show.

' _I have to tell the guys and Keeo about this,'_ Luna thought as he left.

Lester continued to encourage Luna as she tried to keep her balance on the duel board. The butler walked over and told Lester, "I have brought some refreshments."

"Thank you," Lester responded. He then quietly asked so Luna wouldn't hear, "Where's the other guest?"

"He seems to have left," the butler answered.

"All according to plan," the boy responded while laughing silently in a sinister way. "Sorry about making you doing all this butler stuff, Primo."

"There no need to apologize. I just wanted to see these Signers for myself," the butler, Primo, told him as they looked at Luna who was trying not to fall off the board.

"Is that so?" Lester responded and silently laughed again.


	12. Against a Force of Darkness

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 12: Against a Force of Darkness

Leo had come over and began to explain what he saw with Lester and Luna. It didn't give Yusei good feelings of what was going to happen to Leo and Luna in the end of this as he heard of how close Lester was trying to get to his envoy.

"A duel board?" Jack repeated as he and Crow were with Jayla and Yusei.

"Yeah," Leo answered and began to draw it. "It looks like this. And if you connect this wire to both the duel board and duel disk, you can duel with it."

"Now I get it, with that, one could have a simplistic version of a turbo duel," Jack said. "That's one interesting idea."

"What do you think?" Leo asked Yusei and Jayla.

"In theory, it's pretty simple. I could probably build it out of some spare parts," Yusei explained.

"He's right," Jayla agreed. They looked at Yusei a bit shocked he was the first to mention it would be easy.

Yusei sighed. "I'm as good with mechanics as Jayla is. Who made made two duel runners in one timeline and is a god that cannot lose a skill once it is gained?" They nodded in acceptance, knowing the truth.

"I want to beat Lester and protect Luna. Can you two please make a duel board for me?" Leo begged.

"I could," Yusei answered. "Luna would probably want you around when she's using it."

"Want help, Yusei?" Jayla asked.

"If you want to," he replied.

"Alright!" Leo cheered. "Thanks!"

Yusei and Jayla gave a slight grin at his enthusiasm.

. . .

Lester dropped Luna off at her house. "Thanks, Lester," she told him.

"No problem. I'll be waiting again tomorrow," he responded.

"Can Leo come with me?" Luna asked.

"Leo?" Lester questioned.

Luna nodded. "He's wanted to turbo duel for a while now. I'm sure it'll make him really happy," she told him.

"Of course, he's welcome to come," Lester agreed. "Goodbye, Luna."

"Bye Lester," she responded as he left. She then walked into her house. "Leo, I'm home!" No response. "Leo!" She stopped. "Did he go talk to Keeo and the others about the duel board?"

. . .

Jayla helped a bit as Yusei screwed a piece on the duel boards, fitting it to Leo's feet. The two adults looked up at Leo who nodded, telling them it fits fine.

After a while, Leo fell asleep while Yusei and Jayla worked on the programming data for Leo's duel board. The goddess put in her input and suggestions here and there to make sure it ran smoothly when Leo used it.

. . .

The next morning, the two handed Leo and finished duel board. "Thanks, guys," Leo said.

"Remember, protect Luna the best you can with it," Yusei told him.

"Right!" Leo agreed and ran out to go practice riding it.

"Worried about Leo?" Jayla asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah," he answered. "Especially since Lester seems like he was after Luna since he entered the Academy."

"If anything happens, we'll head over there," Jayla told him.

. . .

Meanwhile at a practice lane, Leo rode around on his duel board, trying to keep a good balance. He continued fell but immediately got back up.

"No way am I giving in," Leo stated continuing his attempts. He then stopped when he spotted Luna at the end of the lane. "What're you doing here?"

"I asked Yusei and Jayla what you were up to, and they said you might be here," she answered.

"Are you sure you don't need to go to Lester's house?" he asked dryly.

"That's was just a play, Leo. You know that, remember? And I'm sure I don't need to go. You want to beat Lester, right?" Luna asked and he looked at her. "I want to support you. So let's practice together."

"Yeah," Leo agreed with a smile.

The twins rode round, practicing while having a great time and encouraging each other. Leo looked up above them and saw someone watching them. _'That's not Yusei. It couldn't be,'_ he thought noticing the figure didn't match his shape.

The man got a duel board and headed towards Leo. After landing, the man knocked Leo off his duel board causing Luna to call his name worried.

"I have no need for Leo. I only have a need for you," the man said. "We're going to duel just like this." The man pulled out a rod like duel disk and green energy formed in the front of it. Luna's duel disk activated and her duel board moved on its own. "Follow me!"

Luna reached her hand toward Leo. "Leo!" she called.

"Luna!" he called back and got on his duel board, quickly catching up to the two. "I'll be facing you… Lester." The last name was filled with tenseness and slight anger.

"Sounds fun," the man responded. "And it's great to know you know who I am. It'll be even better when I eliminate you two."

Lester set Speed World 2 on his duel disk which produced both the speed world and the infinity symbol. Parts of the duel lane came up saying a turbo duel was starting a computer then said, "Submitting duel lane to central, authorization granted."

"Leo, what should we do? I've never been in a turbo duel before," Luna asked her twin.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you," Leo reassured. "We'll win, just like how we beat Demak together!" Luna nodded.

After getting around the corner, all three called, "Duel!"

"How about you start of the duel, Luna?" Lester suggested.

"Fine," Luna agreed and drew her card. "I summon Bird of Roses (Attack 1800/ Defense 1500) in attack mode. I end my turn there."

"An attack of 1800?" Lester commented. He drew his card. "I summon Absurd Stealer (Attack 100/ Defense 0) from my hand in attack mode. When Absurd Stealer is successfully summoned, it reduces my opponent's monster's attack power to 0 and make Absurd Stealer's attack power equal to that monster's defense points until the end phase (Absurd Stealer: Attack 1500; Bird of Roses: Attack 0). Absurd Stealer, attack Bird of Roses! Absurd Return!" A blue beam fired from Lester's monster and hit Luna's monster before destroying it. The force from the destruction of her monster was strong enough that it sent Luna flying off the circuit as her life points fell to 2500.

"Luna!" Leo yelled worried.

Regulus, which Leo and Lester couldn't see, caught Luna on his back and put her back on the field. "Thanks, Regulus," she told her friend before holding her chest in pain.

"Did you like that? In this duel, you'll be able to actually feel the life point damage!" Lester stated.

"Huh?" Leo responded surprised while Luna held her chest in pain as her mark glowed.

. . .

Yusei and Jayla looked at the Signer's mark and the god muttered, "Luna… Jayla, we need to go."

"Right," she agreed. Jayla took off on her duel runner and Yusei took to the skies in hopes of getting to Luna fast.

And they reached her and Leo just in time to see Luna activate a monster's effect that was obviously destroyed, "When Bird of Roses is destroyed by battle, I can special summon two plant type tuner monsters from my deck. So I special summon Nettles (Attack 1200/ Defense 400) and Spore (Attack 400/ Defense 800) in defense mode."

"I set three cards face down and end my turn," Lester finished.

"How dare you hurt Luna like that?! You'll be attacking Luna again over my dead body! I'm going to defeat you!" Leo yelled angrily drawing his card.

"I don't like this," Yusei commented.

"I know," Jayla agreed. "It's just like my duel with the Ghost. The attacks were real."

They turned back to the duel where Leo began his turn, "I normal summon level three Morphtronic Datatron (Attack 1200/ Defense 600) in attack mode. Attack Absurd Stealer!"

"You fell for it! I activate my face down, Exus Summon! It returns a monsters selected as an attack target to my hand and special summons a monster from my hand with lower attack. Like my Sky Core (Attack 0/ Defense 0)!" Lester called.

"It only has zero attack points though," Leo commented.

"I activate another face down! Torrential Tribute! When a monster is summoned, I can destroy all monsters on the field," Lester declared obviously shocking Leo and Luna that he was destroying his own monster while Jayla and Yusei's concern grew. "Now since Sky Core was destroyed by card effect, it destroys all monsters on my field and from my deck, hand, or graveyard, special summon Meklord Emperor Skiel Infinity (Attack 0/ Defense 0), Skiel Top (Attack 600/ Defense 0), Skiel Attack (Attack 1000/ Defense 0), Skiel Guard (Attack 200/ Defense 300), and Skiel Carrier (Attack 400/ Defense 0)."

"He summoned five monsters at once?!" Leo exclaimed surprised.

"Now Meklord Emperor Skiel Infinity's effect kicks in!" Lester stated. Though he didn't explain, all the parts came together forming a machine like bird with 2200 attack points and zero defense points.

"What's with the giant robot?" Leo wondered.

Lester laughed maniacally. "Thanks to you, I was able to summon my greatest monster! Now bring it on! I'll show you what true dueling is all about!"

. . .

Meanwhile, Primo and Jakob were watching on their thrones.

"Lester's getting ahead of himself," Primo remarked.

"It's just the way children are. I remember those days myself," Jakob responded. Primo stayed silent.

. . .

"Meklord Emperor Skiel…" Leo muttered looking carefully at it. "It's a combination monster. Is this the thing Yusei and Jayla were talking about? Jayla said something important about it. But what is it?"

. . .

Jack was driving feeling the pain of his mark also. _'Where in the world is Jayla and Yusei?'_ he thought.

"Jack!" he heard Crow call. Jack turned to Crow and Akiza as they drove up. They all had tense and worried looks on their faces. "Where's Yusei?"

"I think she's with Yusei," he answered. "We should see them by Leo and Luna eventually."

Akiza and Crow nodded in acceptance.

. . .

"What're you going to do? Now's your chance to surrender," Lester asked the twins but then laughed sinisterly.

"Who'd surrender to you?" Leo retorted and took a card out of his hand. _'With this, if Lester attacks me directly, I can special summon,'_ he thought. "I set a face down and end my turn."

Lester drew his card. "I activate Trap Stun! Now during this turn, trap cards can't be activated. Meklord Emperor Skiel, attack Leo directly!" he ordered. The machine turned to Leo and lifted up its gun and fired a red ball of energy. It hit Leo making him scream from the pain as his life points dropped to 1800.

"Leo!" Luna called while Yusei struggled to fight to urge to go down and help him. Leo rode out of the smoke having a few visible wounds, but still okay for the most part. Luna gave a relieved smile. "He's safe."

"How'd you like that direct attack from Machine Emperor Skiel?" Lester asked. "I'm going to rough you up even more next time." He laughed. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

"You won't be hurting Leo anymore!" Luna stated drawing her card. "I summon Sunlight Unicorn (Attack 1800/ Defense 1000) in attack mode. Next I activate Spore's effect that's in my graveyard. By removing Nettles from my graveyard, I can special summon Spore from my graveyard. And then Spore's level increases to the level equal of the removed cards (Spore: Level 3). Now I tune level three Spore with level four Sunlight Unicorn!" As the monsters flew into the air, Luna chanted, "The sacred guardian's light crosses paths now and becomes eternal life! Shine, Ancient Fairy Dragon (Attack 2100/ Defense 3000)!" The dragon appeared in attack mode.

"There it is!" Lester quietly exclaimed.

"With Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect, I can special summon a level four or lower monster from my hand once per turn," Luna continued. "So I special summon Fairy Archer (Attack 1400/ Defense 600) in defense position! Once during each of my turns, Fairy Archer's effect can deal you 400 points of damage to you for each light attributed monster on the field."

"And since she has two light attributed monsters, that's 800 points of direct damage," Leo commented. Fairy Archer formed a bow and aimed it at Lester. It hit him in the back, creating a small explosion as Lester's life points fell to 3200. Lester simply brushed off his arm. "He didn't feel the damage at all?"

"What's going on?" Luna wondered.

Lester turned to them. "I'm not the type to feel such a trifle amount of pain," he said and laughed.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," Luna finished.

Meanwhile, Crow, Jack, and Akiza spotted the Meklord Emperor after catching up to the twins. "Hey, I found them!" Crow exclaimed as they caught up to Jayla and Yusei.

"Hey, guys," Jayla greeted. "Things are not good."

They turned back to the field. "It's a giant robot," Crow commented.

"Wasn't that the robot you fought that the Ghost used?" Akiza asked.

"No," Jayla asked. "I don't think it's the one. But the mark on its chest is the same. It's in the same league with it."

"How many of those things are out there?" Crow asked.

"I don't know," Jayla answered.

"It's not looking too good. Ancient Fairy Dragon has been summoned," Jack commented.

Lester began his turn by drawing his card. "I activate Meklord Emperor Skiel's effect! Once per turn, it can absorb my opponent's synchro monster," he declared. The middle of the emperor where the green like was in glowed completely.

"This is what Yusei and Jayla were talking about!" Leo realized.

"It's synchro prevention," Yusei said to the others.

"Yeah. This Meklord Emperor has it too," Jayla agreed worried.

Green strings came out of the machine and wrapped around Luna's Signer Dragon. Ancient Fairy Dragon struggled to get free.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna called worried while Leo had a look of deep concern. Skiel pulled the dragon in and Luna muttered the dragon's name.

"Stop this, Lester! Let Ancient Fairy Dragon go!" Leo ordered.

The bird like machine pulled the dragon completely in shocking everyone visibly. "Oh no…" Yusei muttered.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon…" Luna said once again. "It's been absorbed."

"We were too late," Crow said on the sidelines.

Lester laughed. "I sure took that Ancient Fairy Dragon," he said.

"I've got to remember more quick," Leo muttered. He turned his attention back to Lester who flew in the air. The holder of the Meklord Emperor jumped behind them and zoomed passed them both. Leo and Lester locked eyes as he did so.

"Lester, enough!" Leo ordered.

Lester looked at Luna through his visor. _'Now I'm going to make you draw the circuit!'_ he thought. "When Meklord Emperor Skiel absorbs your synchro monsters, its attack increases equal to the attack power of the equipped synchro monster (Meklord Emperor Skiel: Attack 4300)!" he declared.

"It's power increased," Leo commented surprised.

"Next I play the Speed Spell- Summon Close! When my speed counters are at four or more, neither of you can special summon during this turn," Lester played.

"Not again," Leo groaned.

"I can see right through your tactics," Lester said. "Meklord Emperor Skiel, attack Leo directly!" The machine turned around and lifted up its gun while powering up a green blast. It fired at Leo when Luna got in front of her twin protectively.

"I activate Twinkle Wall! By taking half the damage of your attack, I can negate the attack!" she defended. Luna's care got right in front of Leo, shielding him from the blast, but parts of the blast hit Luna as she screaming in pain. Leo called her name. She came out of the smoke, in pain and struggling to stay up as her life points go from 2500 to 350. _'I can handle the pain. But if I hadn't been fooled into pretending to trust Lester like this, none of this would've happened,'_ she thought.

Yusei watched in worried silence from the air while the others did the same from the sidelines.

Lester looked at Luna and said, "In my mind, it's good that's the way. I set one face down and end my turn."

Leo drew his card. He looked at his hand and thought, _'You won't hurt Luna anymore. I'll protect Luna!'_ He then declared, "I summon Morphtronic Scopen in attack mode (Attack 800/ Defense 1400) in attack mode. While Morphtronic Scopen is in attack mode, once per turn, I can special summon one level four or lower Morphtronic monster from my hand. So I choose to special summon level four Morphtronic Boomboxen (Attack 1200/ Defense 400)! Now I tune level three Morphtronic Scopen with level four Morphtronic Boomboxen!" As Morphtronic Scopen turned into three rings and Morphtronic Boomboxen went through it, Leo chanted, "Docking strength with courage in order to protect world peace. I synchro summon the envoy of love and justice! Power Tool Dragon (Attack 2300/ Defense 2500)!"

"A synchro monster? That's why you're no good!" Lester mocked.

Leo tried to keep calm, while this only worried the twins' friends further and made it harder for Yusei to not go down and help. Power Tool Dragon roared a bit angry.

"What's Leo thinking? Synchro monsters won't do any good against that thing," Jack asked.

"Leo!" Luna called worried.

Leo ignored everyone and continued to duel, "I play the Speed Spell- Summon Speeder! When my speed counters are at four or more, I can special summon a level four or lower monster from my hand. So I summon level one Morphtronic Vacuumen (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in defense mode. When Morphtronic Vacuumen is in defense mode, it can equip a monster on my opponent's field to itself."

"I get it. Leo plans on getting Meklord Emperor Skiel off the field and fight using Power Tool Dragon," Crow realized on the sidelines.

"So I'm equipping Meklord Emperor Skiel to Morphtronic Vacuumen!" Leo declared. His monsters opened up its vacuum and began to suck Skiel towards it.

"I activate my face down, Convert Ghost! When a monster on my field is selected as an effect's target, I can change the target to a monster in my graveyard," Lester defended.

Leo gasped in surprised as the monster in the opposing player's graveyard come out of Lester's duel disk and into the Morphtronic's vacuum instead.

"It avoided it," Akiza stated shocked.

Lester then called to Leo, "Your simple plans just won't work on me."

Luna glared with a look of anger for insulting Leo and her twins glared at Lester for the same reason. "I place a card face down and end my turn," Leo finished. Lester drew his card. "Not so fast, Lester! I activate Power Break! When Power Tool Dragon is on the field, it returns all equipped and absorbed cards back to the deck. And that includes a certain synchro monster you snatched from my sister." This shocked Lester visibly. "And for each card returned, you're dealt 500 points of direct damage!" The vacuum on Morphtronic Vacuumen lifted up as Lester's monster left it and returned to Lester's deck while Ancient Fairy Dragon came out of Meklord Emperor Skiel and returned to Luna's deck.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna called before it went into her deck.

"And now because Ancient Fairy Dragon's out of your monster, Meklord Emperor Skiel returns to its original 2200 attack points," Leo pointed out. Meanwhile, Lester groaned and looked in pain as he took damage while his life points dropped to 2200. "I warned you to stay away from my sister, Lester, but you wouldn't listen! Well now you see, not only am I going to protect her with all of my might, but I'll also protect the things she holds dear! Don't mess with my sister."

"Leo…" Luna muttered, touched by his words. She then nodded smiling.

"Yikes, remind me to be extra nice to Luna from now on," Jack said.

"Yeah, I've never seen Leo more confident or up to his game," Crow agreed.

"Same here," Akiza followed.

"Yeah," Jayla agreed, but Yusei stayed silent. And with his silence, they knew the worst had yet to come.

Lester clenched his fist in anger. "Now you've done it! I'm going to pound the snot out of you! You'll regret ever making me mad!" he yelled making the entirety of the twins' friends worried again. "I activate Speed World 2's effect! By discarding seven speed counters, I can draw one more card." He drew again. "And then I reveal my face down, Sky A3! By sending one monster on the field with Skiel Attack in its name to the graveyard, I can special summon Skiel Attack 3 (Attack 1200/ Defense 0)." Skiel Attack was taken off the field and it was replaced on his monster with the new model. "And now it's attack raises as well (Meklord Emperor Skiel: Attack 2400)!"

"It powered up," Leo commented.

"Next I release Skiel Attack 3 to special summon Skiel Attack 5 (Attack 1400/ Defense 0)!" Lester continued and the gun at the bottom of Meklord Emperor Skiel disappeared as another part appeared and then attached itself, becoming the second new gun while Meklord Emperor Skiel's attack increases to 2600.

"How many times will that thing power up? _"_ Jayla wondered. She looked at Yusei who seemed a bit worried. "Are you alright?"

"Be ready to take Leo from me," Yusei told them vaguely and even that vague warning worried them.

"Now Skiel Attack 5's effect activates! Meklord Emperor Skiel, attack Leo directly!" Lester ordered. The bird like machine turned around, as a white gun appeared out of the bottom and powered up a red blast.

Once it powered up, it shot a large, red beam at Leo. It hit him creating a huge explosion, destroying all of Leo's monsters. Leo cried out as he was blown right off the circuit and his life points fell to 0. Luna instantly stopped and screamed her brother's name.

Everyone gasped having seen Leo get blown off. The three on duel runners immediately stopped. As Leo fell to the ground, everyone's mark reacted and glowed. Yusei darted down after Leo and caught him before the boy hit the ground. He checked the boy's pulse and found he was okay for the most part. Yusei then flew back up and handed him to the four Signers.

Yusei then yelled to the girl dueling Lester, "Luna! Leo's okay!"

"Everyone," she muttered as she put a hand on her heart and thought, _'Thank goodness for Yusei, he'll always be there to save the day. But, what was that feeling? That feeling I felt from my heart?'_

"Tch, look at him, narrowly escaping death!" Lester said as Luna continued to follow Lester and continue the duel. "I won't let that happen again. I will defeat you and you alone! I play a face down and end my turn."

"Who'd be defeated by the likes of you?! I won't let Leo's will go in vain!" Luna responded angrily. She drew her card. "I summon Regulus (Attack 1700/ Defense 1000) in attack mode. Then I activate my face down, Ancient Sunshine! When Regulus is on the field, by removing Ancient Fairy Dragon in my deck from the game, I can inflict 2100 points of direct damage to you," she declared. Regulus' horn began to glow and turn yellow.

"If this connects, Lester will only have 100 life points left!" Jack stated.

Lester smiled sinisterly, however. "I activate Infinity Force! When a monster with Infinity in its name is on my field and effect damage from my opponent's card occurs, it zeros-out the damage and destroys all the monsters on your field," he defended. Luna gasped as Regulus fired a yellow beam out of its horn. But before the attack hit, Lester's trap got in front of him and protected him. After the card received the attack, it fired white beams at Luna's monsters, destroying them. Lester laughed. "You've run out of options now!" Luna looked at her deck as Lester began his turn by drawing his card. "Meklord Emperor Skiel, attack Luna directly!"

Luna gasped in fear as the gun on the bottom of the Meklord Emperor powered up a red blast. It fired a beam at the girl. Luna covered her arms, preparing for the hit but when it didn't hit she looked to see her duel spirits protecting her acting as a shield blocking the blast. But they were obviously struggling.

"But… No, you'll be hurt!" Luna called.

Slowly, the blast couldn't be held any more and Luna prepared herself for the hit. But nothing came. She looked to see a vortex of air had surrounded her as a ball of protection, making the blast go around her. She noticed Yusei behind her, holding the protective ball of wind in place and around her.

When the blast was done, Luna's life points were gone and they were surrounded by smoke. But they soon came out of the smoke. She was wobbling all of the place from the bit of pain in her chest, barely keeping her balance. She was about to hit some glass when Yusei caught her and stopped her from hitting the glass. She thanked him. She then turned and thanked her duel monsters for their assistance.

She looked at Lester who didn't look too happy that she survived and left. Luna took off her helmet and thanked her duel monster friends for their support and help. She looked at the Jack, Crow, Akiza, and Leo, who had woken up after being saved by the Yusei.

"Thanks a lot, Yusei," she told him. "For saving me and Leo."

"You don't have to thank me. I told you before, I protect all mortals and especially the deities' envoys. And besides, you two shouldn't be hurt or killed like that," he responded. "For now, though," he looked at the others as they drove off. "we need to check out Lester's place. See if we can find anything there." They agreed.

"Want a ride, Luna?" Yusei asked.

"What do you mean?" she replied.

"I can use the wind that'll let me carry you by flight. This way you don't have to ride the duel board back," the god explained. She grinned. "Want to join us on a little flight?"

"Sure," Luna agreed getting off.

Yusei looked at the male twin. "Want to?" he asked him. He beamed and nodded. The god of wind then turned to the others. "Follow us to Lester's place," he told them and they nodded.

Yusei used the wind and Leo and Luna floated up a bit. Yusei grabbed the duel board and they started to fly into the air. He got closer to their other friends and Leo and Luna directed them to the twins' opponent's home. They stopped at a deserted land.

"There's nothing here, guys," Crow said.

"That's strange," Leo said. "I was sure it was here. There was a big mansion."

"Yeah," Luna agreed.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked.

Yusei used his powers as a god to look into the past. "They aren't lying," he said. They looked at him. "Just as Izanagi can see the future, I can see past events wherever we are, and whenever we want. And right now I'm looking at Luna being taught to ride the duel board by Lester here in front of a large mansion."

"Is your ability faulty?" Crow asked.

"No, it's impossible for a god's vision to be faulty," Yusei replied.

"How about we ask Bob?" Leo suggested as the deity took down his ability.

They agreed and soon found the boy walking on the sidewalk. "Hey, Bob," Leo greeted. "Have you seen Lester anywhere?"

"Lester? Who's that?" Bob asked.

"Huh? You know, Lester? The one who transferred to our school the other day from the east Duel Academy branch?" Leo replied shocked.

"I don't know who you're talking about," Bob responded before leaving.

"What's going on?" Luna wondered.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Jayla stated making them turn to her.

Yusei nodded. "Whoever is doing this, they are a part of this darkness that Izanagi, the other gods, and I sense. And it can't be good if it's taken human form," he added.

"I don't care who it is. They're going to get crushed, courtesy of Jack Atlas," Jack stated.

' _I need to figure out how to work this Accel Synchro. I have to in order to beat the Meklord Emperors,'_ Jayla thought.


	13. Admitting Fears

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 13: Admitting Fears

It had been two days since the incident with Meklord Emperor Skiel and Lester. At the moment, Jayla rode on the highway with Yusei behind her as she tested out the new engine.

"Want to head to the overlook in the Infinity Tower?" Yusei suggested noticing the tense atmosphere around her. She nodded and turned directions.

They found our way to our favorite spot inside the Infinity Tower. Yusei sat on the railing and closed his eyes. Jayla slowly got off and allowed her arms to rest on the railing.

"Are the Meklord Emperors still worrying you too?" Yusei slowly asked.

"Yeah," she answered. "After the Ghost and what happened to Leo and Luna…"

"I know," Yusei agreed. They went silent again.

After a few silent minutes, Jayla asked, "What aren't you telling me?" Yusei looked at her confused and she looked at him with a waiting expression.

"Jayla, I don't know…" he stopped.

"Yusei, do you trust us?" she asked.

"Of course," he answered. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be sticking around you and trying to figure out this darkness on my own. "Besides, I get the feeling you are also hiding something."

Jayla sighed and looked down in a sad worried manner. "To be honest, I'm really getting scared. Our friends could be in serious danger, especially after seeing what those people did to Leo and Luna and then when I first battled the Ghost…" she trailed off.

"It'll be alright, Jayla," he assured her. "If there is one thing Signers can do, it's keeping the world safe. Even if it doesn't seem like it's possible at the time."

"I know," she agreed though I could see she was reluctant. "But I'm also worried that everyone will get hurt more than anything else."

"I understand. I don't want anyone to get hurt in this fight," Yusei responded. "But facts are, people will. You can't stop that from happening, not even I can. But I promise, I'll try to make sure no one, especially our friends, get hurt too badly in this fight. Okay?"

"Okay," she agreed.

It was then that we heard two duel runners park behind us. They looked back for a moment to see Jack and Crow walking up. Yusei slowly turned back to the ocean with Jayla.

"What's up, you guys?" Crow called.

Yusei closed his eyes as a breeze blew through the area. He didn't like the feeling he was getting. It was foreboding and worrying. Something bad was coming, and soon.

The two stayed silent, so Jack asked, "What's going on with you two?"

"We're just uneasy about all of these," Jayla replied. "And Yliaster is behind all of this."

"Yliaster? I remember Goodwin talking about that group from time to time," Jack responded. "But I don't know. It just sounded like a bunch of mystic Junk."

Yusei turned to the two humans. "They're real, Jack. Roman told Jayla, and me in the previous timeline, about the group that sent him to become a Dark Signer. And then there was Sherry who dueled Jayla. She told us about how Yliaster killed her parents."

"If they are real, do you really think they're they the ones behind everything?" Jack asked.

"I don't know," Jayla answered. "I would think so."

"We'll beat them," Crow assured.

"I hope so…" Jayla heard Yusei mutter worried. He then said louder and clearer, "This will probably be a harder fight than the Dark Signers. Especially since these people seemed linked to the darkness that is here."

"We'll beat them, Yusei," I reassured. "Don't worry about that." He gave a slow nod in response.

"Is something else wrong, Yusei?" Crow asked. He didn't reply, worrying them a bit.

"Yusei?" Jack called.

"I just have a bad feeling about something coming up. And it's coming soon. But it isn't good and I don't like it. It worries me, that's all," he explained.

"We'll overcome anything that tries to stop us, Yusei," Jayla responded. "You know we will."

"Jayla's right. We've done it before and we'll do it again," Crow told him. "Heh, we've saved the world two timelines in a row."

"Right," Jack agreed. "Don't worry about any gut feeling. Or what you saw. We'll beat whatever's coming at us."

"Alright," Yusei gave in.

"Let's get back to the garage," Jack suggested.

They nodded in acceptance. Yusei got on into the air while the others took off on their duel runners.

"So how did you get the engine finally to work, Jayla?" Crow asked him.

"We worked a bit deeper into the programming and found a couple bugs. Yusei helped fix them and it started working after that," she explained.

"With that information, it makes me wonder who's better at programming," Jack stated.

"Both of us," Jayla immediately answered. "If it weren't for being from two different timelines and Yusei being the god of wind, we could've been siblings. I mean, we've had nearly the same life since the timelines switched."

"Hey, Yusei, are there planets that don't have humans or human-like life?" Jack asked.

He nodded. "There are too many different species of other worldly lifeforms to count. Some of those lifeforms are governed by their own god who lives in the Divine Realm," he explained. "There are some on Neptune, Jupiter, and other worlds far from here."

"Jupiter and Neptune has lifeforms on it?" Crow asked. Yusei nodded. "How? Jupiter's a gas planet and Neptune's an ice giant."

"The inhabitants there live within the gas and have found a way to make the gas into a physical material to create cities with," he explained. Crow scoffed.

"What other planets are there?" Jack asked

"I can list most of them off at the garage," Yusei answered. "There are too many to list off right now."

"Like how many?" Jack asked.

"About 698,469,783 different planet species currently that can work like humans or are more advanced," he answered.

" _That_ many?" Crow responded.

"Yep," Yusei answered.

"Talk about variety," he responded. The god grinned.

They arrived at the garage and Yusei began to explain everything. From the looks of a Divine Realm to all the different species of the universe. By the time he was done and they were finished with questions, it had gotten quite late and they went off to bed.


	14. Torture

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 14: Torture

Yusei's eyes slowly opened. His head ached slightly as he woke up. But it didn't take long for him to feel his arms bound and spread out above his head and his legs bound together with large, metal cuffs that any average human wouldn't be able to break. He began to yank at the cuffs, thinking his godly strength would allow him to break free; but for some reason, they wouldn't break.

"Don't bother," came a voice as a light above Yusei lit up. It was man from what Yusei could tell. "Right now you're as powerless as an average mortal."

"Are these cuffs made of…?" Yusei let his question trail off in his worried shock.

The man laughed before stepping into the light. He had a dark grey eye while his right eye was covered by a metal object that also held an infinity symbol engraved into it. He wore a white jacket over a white top with its hood up, white pants and shoes, metal chest plating with an infinity symbol that wrapped around the neck and at the bottom finished with a green gem, and also had metal plating on both his sides of his hips.

"Yes, I'm afraid those cuffs are made from the material spoken about in legend. The only material capable of stripping a deity of their powers and hiding them from even their great leader, Izanagi," the man stated. "Of course, you're godly energy remains unchecked. But that means nothing for you without your powers. Isn't that right, Futen?"

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" he asked trying to yank at his binds again, despite knowing how impossible to break they were, even for him.

"I am Primo," he answered. "And I'm not the only one who wanted you."

"Primo, I thought we told you to wait for us," came a deeper voice and they turned to see a large, tall man coming up behind him followed by a small one Yusei recognized as Lester.

"I couldn't just wait around anymore," Primo told the larger man.

They looked at Yusei and Lester laughed. "I can't believe how just a bit of metal could make a god so weak."

"Considering you already know Lester and Primo, it should only be fair that I introduce myself as well," the large one stated. "I am Jakob."

"I'll ask again: What do you want from me?" Yusei pressed.

"Oh, you'll find out very soon," Primo answered. Yusei glared warningly.

"Before we get to the main show, we need you to show our your special Deity's Seal," Jakob stated.

"My Deity's Seal!" Yusei exclaimed shocked and worried. _'If they see my Deity's Seal and take it, I'll be at their mercy forever unable to fight back no matter how much I try. And if that isn't their intention, they will be able to sap every bit of my deity energy and kill me,'_ he thought. _'I can't let that happen!'_ The men in front of him chuckled. "Why do you want my Deity's Seal?"

"You'll see once it shows," Primo answered. "Are you ready?"

Yusei glared and Primo pressed a button. Suddenly, electricity moved through the three cuffs attached to him and began to shock him. The God of Wind winced and groaned in pain, trying to keep himself calm. If he experienced too much pain and felt he was in too much danger, his Deity's Seal would show to call to Izanagi and his Envoy to help. He couldn't let that happen.

"Resisting, hm?" Jakob stated.

"Should we turn up the volts?" Lester suggested.

Jakob nodded at Primo who turned a dial a bit higher and Yusei was struggling to keep himself calm with the pain that just seemed to get worse the longer it went on. He was struggling to keep his Deity's Seal hidden. Yusei tried yanking the cuffs again, but they wouldn't budge and it just hurt his body more. He could feel his Seal wanting to show and appear, but he fought it and kept it hidden with all of his strength.

"Wow, he's strong," Lester commented obviously shocked and in awe.

"Primo," Jakob called and the volts immediately were added, making Yusei nearing cry out in pain but was able to make it a groan of pain.

The god could feel himself on the verge of blacking out. But if he did, it would be all over and his Seal would show. Every ounce of his body wanted him to pass out and hope that the pain would stop when he did. Yusei honestly wanted to as well. However, he knew the consequences if he did, and fought the urge and forced himself to stay awake.

"And I thought the Creation God would be the strongest," Primo stated quietly, though Yusei could hear it.

Yusei opened his eyes weakly and noticed Primo looking at a screen which had energy readings on it pulsing one was on top and was obviously his while another was on bottom and the God of Wind knew it was Izanagi's by how the energy lines were made. Each deity's energy was unique to that deity, so one deity would know the other's with ease.

"But he still isn't strong enough to remake this world alone," Jakob responded just as quietly.

"Well, we can still take his energy," Lester stated. "Make the Circuit for faster and with more power."

' _Remake the world? I can't let that happen,'_ Yusei thought. _'No matter what, I cannot reveal my Deity's Seal. Too many of our worlds have fallen because a mortal or group of mortals tried to change it to their liking and war broke out and decimated the planet. No. I won't let that happen here, too.'_

Suddenly, the electricity stopped and Yusei hung there limp, sore, and gasping for breath. "You are quite strong, God of Wind," Jakob stated. "But you have your breaking point, don't you? You've been fighting us and every urge to call your fellow deities and your envoy."

"How… did you know… I have an envoy?" Yusei asked between breaths.

"We've been watching the Signers for a while. Looking for their weaknesses as they're the only chance of stopping us from remaking this world and changing its future for the better," Primo explained.

"We've also studied the ancient texts. We know you chose that young Signer girl as your envoy. We also know the Goddess of the Sun chose the other female Signer and the Creation God chose the twin brother of your envoy," Jakob added. "Is that why you are so much stronger? You're connected to the longest lasting envoy of the three chosen and the one who has made the most impact for the deities of this universe." Yusei stayed silent. "You want to call her for help, don't you? After all, you can't contact Izanagi, even if your Seal was revealed." Yusei continued his silence but glared defensively. "Primo, go ahead and give him the highest volts. We can watch this from our room and wait for his Deity's Seal to be revealed."

Primo nodded and turned the dial to its highest point making Yusei cry out before he could muffle it and the god watched as Primo hid the dial in a compartment in the table it was originally on, with a hologram hiding the creases of the compartment to make it seem like there wasn't anything to be in the table. The men then left the room. Yusei knew as soon as the door was shut that there was no telling when they would shut off the electricity… if they ever did.

Yusei hurriedly tried to break the cuffs again, but there wasn't even a creak in the metal. _"Luna! Luna, please, answer me!"_ he called telepathically. He could contact Luna through her mind since she was his envoy, even with these restricting cuffs. Only of the perks of having an envoy other than being able to have someone you trust help the deities of the universe gain strength.

Yusei could only hope, though, she would know to respond and let the others know so he could get out of here before he couldn't keep his Seal from showing.


	15. Fighting Your Demons

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 15: Fighting Your Demons

Luna bolted up in her bed with a start. Her heart was racing and her mind was filled with worry. _'What… What was that?'_ she thought. She looked at her bracelet worriedly. She hurriedly got up and dressed before hurrying out to the living room.

Leo was there eating breakfast. "Hey, Luna. You okay?" he asked.

"I… Have you seen Yusei anywhere?" she replied.

"Uh… no. He was gone before I woke up. Why?" Leo asked.

"I had a nightmare of something really bad happening to him," she answered. "And I'm not sure if it was just a nightmare."

"I'm sure he's just at Jayla and the guy's apartment. I mean, this is a god we're talking about," Leo responded. "We can go check with them if you want."

"That sounds like a good idea. Because that dream felt so real, like it was happening right now," she answered.

" _Luna! Luna, please, answer me!"_ called Yusei's voice in her head. The girl was worried by the fear she could hear in his voice. She touched her head confused.

"Luna, you alright?" Leo asked asked.

"I… I think Yusei's trying to contact me. Through my head or something," she replied. "I just heard his voice."

"Try answering back," her twin suggested. "Maybe being his envoy, you have some weird connection or something."

"R-Right," she agreed before focusing. _"Yusei. Yusei, can you hear me?"_

" _Luna! Thank the universe you responded!"_ he replied with a straining voice.

" _Yusei, are you alright? I had a nightmare last night of you being hurt badly and you sound like you're in a lot of pain,"_ she responded worriedly.

" _I'm not sure where I am or how I got here, but all I know is that these three men grabbed me at some point and are trying to get me to reveal my Deity's Seal,"_ he answered.

" _Deity's Seal?"_ she questioned.

" _Each deity has their own Deity's Seal. If I experience too much pain and if I feel like I'm in too much danger to the point where I can not stay as calm as I should, my Deity's Seal will reveal itself to call Izanagi or my envoy for help. And not only that, but if they see my Deity's Seal and take it, I'll be at their mercy forever unable to fight back no matter how much I try. And if that isn't their intention, they will be able to sap every bit of my deity energy and kill me,"_ he explained. _"And from what I overheard, their planning on doing the second option."_

" _But if you die, the entire universe will be thrown out of balance!"_ Luna exclaimed.

" _I know. And that's why I've been fighting myself and making sure I stay as calm as I can and not show my seal,"_ Yusei told her. _"Even if my Seal was shown, they've locked me with a material that makes me pretty much more and Izanagi can't find me or see me. I'm at least able to contact you. Luna, you need to get the others and find some way to get me out of here before I can't stop my Seal from revealing itself. And you have to hurry."_

" _How do we find you?"_ Luna asked worriedly.

" _The bracelet on your wrist will help you locate me. Connect it to your heart and mind, and it'll show you the way,"_ Yusei explained. _"Hurry, Luna… I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to hold on."_

Suddenly, Luna felt the connection cut. _"Yusei? Yusei, are you still there?"_ she called nervously.

"What did he say, Luna? Why do you seem so scared?" Leo asked.

"Yusei said some people took him to some place he doesn't know. They're trying to get him to reveal this Seal that if he shows they'll either be able to control him forever or kill him by taking all of his deity energy," Luna explained. "And he says it sounds like they're planning to do the second option."

"What're we supposed to do?" Leo asked.

"First, find the others and tell them what's go on," Luna answered. "Come on!" They immediately ran out the door and hurried to Jayla and the guys apartment.

When they entered, they found their three eldest friends with Akiza. Jayla turned to them. "Hey, guys," she greeted. She then noticed the nervous atmosphere around them. "Something wrong, you two?"

Luna explained everything. Everything in her dream and everything Yusei said. When she was finished they were all worried.

"Why on Earth would they want to take all the power from a god and risk the universe going out of balance for his energy? What would they use it for?" Crow wondered.

"I don't know, but we need to get to Yusei," Akiza stated. "If we don't save him…"

"We will save him," Jack stated. "We don't have a choice." They nodded. "Yusei said you could find him with that bracelet of yours, right, Luna?"

"Yeah, but I don't know how he expects me to connect it to my heart and mind in order to do so," she replied.

"Well, you have to find a way soon, or we may end up being too late to save Yusei," Crow reminded her.

"No pressure there," Luna muttered sarcastically.

"Sorry," Crow immediately told her after hearing her words.

"If it's something you're mind and heart can do, listen to your instincts and I'm sure you'll know what to do," Jayla told her.

Luna gave a slowly nod before closing her eyes to think. Suddenly, they all noticed her bracelet flash before a light blue, nearly imperceptible line was made on the ground leading out.

"We need to follow that line," she told them.

"Alright, Luna," Jayla agreed. "Get behind me. Crow, can you carry Leo?" He nodded. "We need to hurry. Who knows how long that line will last." They nodded before taking off.

. . .

Yusei winced and groaned at the overwhelming pain being subjected to him. That's when he noticed a glow over his heart. _'No!'_ he thought and focused on fighting the Seal from showing. _'They'll be here soon and get me out of here. I know it. I just have to keep fighting until then.'_ He then noticed the shape of the Seal trying to show itself became more seeable as a swirl and Yusei immediately pushed it back into him to hide it again but his chest was still glowing. _'You're not… appearing.'_ Even his thoughts were strained and he knew he was using the last of his strength.

Yusei slowly called out to his envoy again, opening his eyes slightly, _"Luna, where are you?"_

" _Yusei! We're entering the building my bracelet says you're in,"_ she answered. _"Are you doing okay?"_

" _I'm… nearing my breaking point. I'm struggling to keep my Seal in me and using practically the last of my strength. You… need to hurry, Luna,"_ he told her.

" _We'll get to you soon, Yusei. We're almost there,"_ she responded.

" _Okay,"_ he slowly agreed. He couldn't help it anymore with the pain and shut his eyes tight, letting out another groan of pain.

. . .

Luna told everyone what she heard Yusei say and they were worried. They followed the line through the maze of hallways in the building that they were in.

When they came to a room that the guiding line led into, they heard electricity crackling and a familiar person groaning in pain. Jayla immediately opened the door and they ran in to see Yusei hanging and being electrocuted.

"It's just like in my nightmare!" Luna exclaimed.

"We need to find a way to get him out of those cuffs," Jack stated. He and Crow tried to grab the one of the left arm but merely cried out and backed up at the electricity pulsing through the cuffs. "How much volts are they putting him through?" the tallest person there asked looking at his burned through gloves.

"I don't know, but we need to stop it. I doubt even a god can handle a lot of electricity being blasted to them for long," Crow responded.

"Wait, what's that glow over his heart?" Akiza wondered and that's when they noticed it.

"It's probably his Deity's Seal he's trying to conceal," Jayla suggested.

"We need to get that electricity from pulsing into him," Luna stated and they nodded.

"But I don't see a control anywhere," Leo stated.

Yusei cracked open his eyes and Luna immediately noticed. "Yusei!" she greeted.

"T-Table," he choked out. "Th-There's a compartment hidden in the table."

Jayla immediately felt around the table when they noticed a hologram fuzz a bit with her touch and saw creases in the wood where it was fuzzed.

Crow checked underneath the table for a button when his hand pressed down on the lid of the compartment and it lowered before sliding open. "Okay, then," he muttered.

Jayla pulled the device out and immediately exclaimed, "What is wrong with these guys? They're dealing him the highest volts they could give him!" She immediately turned it off and Yusei went a bit limp, panting and exhausted.

"Does it have a switch to unlock those cuffs?" Akiza asked.

"There are a ton of buttons on this thing that don't go to the electricity," she answered. "I can't tell which ones do what." Jack grabbed the remote and pressed a button before Jayla could protest. The cuffs snapped open and they grabbed Yusei as he dropped to the ground. "That was lucky, Jack."

"Hey, at least he's out of those cuffs," Jack retorted.

Akiza came and helped Jayla hold Yusei's weight as he was obviously extremely weak from the non-stop electrocutions the people who grabbed him had given him. "Come on, Yusei," she whispered.

They carefully walked out of the room and through the halls. A deep voice laughed for a moment and Yusei forced himself to not feel the fear his body wanted to have. They turned as Jakob, Primo, and Lester showed themselves.

"It's interesting that a god was able to call his envoy without his Seal showing itself," Jakob commented.

"Why do you want his Seal to show itself?" Jayla asked.

"We need the boundless energy of a god to strengthen the plan we have for this world," Primo explained. "And since that is the case, you are going to hand over Futen now."

"No, we're not," Akiza denied.

"Perhaps we can make a trade," Jakob stated before a force began to pull Luna towards them. However, strong gusts of wind began to blow around and hold Luna from getting into contact with these men.

"You're… not taking her," Yusei told them still a bit weak.

"You deities really _are_ protective of your envoys, aren't you?" Lester asked mockingly. "How sweet!"

The gusts grew stronger and the men were thrown back while Luna was brought back to the Signers', Leo's, and Futen's side.

"Thanks, Yusei," Luna told him and he nodded in response. He then used the wind which formed into another cocoon around them before they found themselves back off the ground.

They exited the building through the ceiling and landed next to their duel runners. They all got on the runners with Leo with Akiza and Crow keeping Yusei behind him, so Yusei could rest, and took off without a second thought. They were also thankful to see his Seal disappearing completely.

They quickly arrived at the twins' apartment and they set Yusei down who was obviously still exhausted.

"How on Earth did they get you, Yusei?" Akiza asked.

"To be honest, I'm not sure," he answered shocking them. "Before waking up locked in that room, the last thing I remember is falling asleep for the night here. But I don't know what happened that made them able to get me to that place."

"Do you know why they wanted your energy?" Jayla asked.

"I heard them mention something about using it to power and strengthen something they called the 'Circuit'. But I don't know what that is. They had also mentioned something about remaking the world," Yusei explained.

"How on Earth could they remake the world?" Crow asked.

"I'm not sure. All I know is that there have been other worlds where a mortal or group of mortals tried to remake the world to their liking, resulting in war that decimated the entire planet," Yusei replied. "I can't let that happen here."

"It won't, Yusei," Luna told him. "We'll make sure of it, together." He gave a slow nod.

"Why don't you try to get some rest?" Jayla suggested. "You were locked up and being electrocuted in that place for quite awhile. I'm sure you need it."

"I guess," he responded. Though he was a bit tired from the electrocutions, he was mostly sore from them. But he knew the best way to get back to full strength and not being sore was to rest. He lied down on the couch since that had been his bed while being here. It didn't take him long to fall asleep.

"Leo, Luna, watch him when he's just with you guys here," Jayla told the twins. "If anything happens, contact us and we'll come and help."

"Alright," they agreed.

"We should better get back to the garage," Crow stated. "We need to work on the duel runner a bit more and we shouldn't stay where Yusei can wake up from hearing us for too long." They nodded. The two eldest girls and two eldest boys excused themselves and left the Tops.

"Think he'll be okay, Luna?" Leo asked his twin as they looked at Yusei.

"He'll be fine," she answered. "I'm sure of it." Leo nodded in acceptance. _'Or at least I hope,'_ the female twin added mentally.


	16. Amnesia Man

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 16: Amnesia Man

It had been about a week since they had gotten Yusei back from whoever took him and saved him. He had healed pretty fast, only needed about two days before they were back to full health. Leo and Luna were especially worried about him, though they never told the god that and never told anyone why. Though the others figured it was do the relation they felt with Yusei. Even Akiza as another envoy didn't feel as worried as these two did for Yusei's health or safety.

As of now, though, Jayla was on the highway, speeding up her duel runner. As she drove, thought about the speed of her duel runner, _'This kind of speed is no good! I need a new engine that can surpass the limits no matter what.'_

Jayla turned as Yusei came flying up beside her as they headed towards to Infinity Tower. "I know you're worried about the Meklord Emperors and Accel Synchro," he told her, "but you will find a way to beat them. I know it."

After they had pulled up to the overlook in the tower, Jayla got off her duel runner and walked to the railing, leaning against it. "And how can you be so sure?"

"Izanagi may be blind to the darkness, but he isn't blind to the light and Accel Synchro," Yusei explained.

"Are you saying he told you how I can learn to use it?" Jayla asked surprised.

"He did," Yusei answered. "But he forbid me from telling you." Jayla groaned in frustration. "Sorry."

Jayla took a deep breath to calm herself. "It's fine. I understand he's your leader and you can't really disobey him," she accepted. He nodded in thanks. "Out of curiosity, do you know why the twins have been so worried about you lately?"

"Not really. I have some ideas, but I'm not really sure," Yusei answered. "Right now, though, I'm mainly worried about what those men who grabbed me can do to you guys."

"They wouldn't try anything with us," Jayla assured.

"I'm not sure about that. One of the men was Lester," Yusei told her and she went wide eyed, though he wasn't looking at her; he was looking at the calm, clear sky. "Besides, if they were able to take me without me knowing how, they could easily do the same with you. Added, while I was trapped and those three were in the room looking at energy readings from me, I saw Izanagi's energy signature as a reading there as well. I don't know how he got Izanagi's energy reading though."

"Were they able to kidnap Izanagi at some point?" Jayla asked.

"Without him telling any of the deities, Amaterasu and I especially? It does sound like Izanagi. Besides, as far as I'm ever aware, Izanagi only comes down from the Divine Realm when we are creating a new world. Other than that, he and most of the other deities stay in our home realm," Yusei explained. "He would've had to come down for them to grab him. But it's the only way I can think of for those men to get his energy signature."

"You talk like one of the deities has different energy from another deity," Jayla questioned.

"They do. It's why each deity has their own unique Deity's Seal," Yusei explained. "The Deity's Seal is connected to our energy and our life force. We each have our own energy signature special to us with its own strength. Though, if we decide and choose an envoy, the strength of our energy increases slightly, barely any though. And if that envoy makes a significant impact on the world regarding making people believe in deities again, it triples that power."

"So with how much Luna has made an impact with getting nearly a quarter of the city to believe in deities again, you're one of the most powerful deities?" Jayla asked.

"I am, and those men know it. There are actually none stronger than me now, not even Izanagi. Though once Leo starts helping Luna getting people in believe in us again, his power will most likely beat mine since his power originally trumps mine quite a bit when we don't have the help of an envoy. To be honest, I'm not really a fan of having so much power," Yusei explained, the last sentence shocking and confusing her visibly. "Having that much power only asks for trouble; and with those men knowing I have so much power, it is likely they will come for me again and try to get my Deity's Seal to reveal itself again somehow. If they do, I'm not sure I'll be able to hide my Seal for too long."

"Yusei, what happens exactly if they drain you of all your power from your Seal?" Jayla asked.

"I'll die," he answered. "But the only way for them to do that is to take my Seal while it shows."

"And how do they 'take' it?" she pushed.

"All they have to do is touch it while its out. It won't transfer into them and stay visible, but it is there's. If they don't kill me, I'll be at their mercy and their slave, unable to question or fight their orders until they die. After that, the Seal returns to me. But the Seal can be taken by another mortal if one takes it," Yusei explained. "I would honestly rather die than be their slave."

"Can you take it back?" Jayla asked slightly worried.

"Not entirely," Yusei replied confusing her again. "I can have my Deity's Seal return to my body eventually, but the holding of the Deity's Seal must willingly hand it back to me. I cannot take it by force." He looked down. "If they took my Deity's Seal I would most likely never get it back."

"Not unless one of us take it from them and return it to you," Jayla responded. "Why don't you stay close to the rest of us until this darkness is gone? So we can protect you."

"If they could take a god, possibly two, without our knowledge in the middle of the night, how do you expect to protect me if they do the same?" Yusei replied. "Mortals need more sleep than gods; and being in the mortal world, I need as much sleep as mortals. Though I can stay up longer and maybe stay awake for a night or two before I need sleep again. Besides, I need to keep an eye on this darkness. It has something to do with these men and the Meklord Emperors. And it's strong enough to affect mortals and change certain events on people's threads. And that means that it's strong enough to affect the future. So I need to keep an eye on it."

Jayla saw his point. She could feel all those nights she spent staying up trying to work on the engine. She had been trying to get some rest here and there to help her recuperate, but she still was working on it. Besides, they were able to catch a god of all people without him knowing how, and he still didn't know, so even they wouldn't be able to help too much if they came back just as sneaky. And he knew how strong this darkness was better than her and if he absolutely needed to make sure he knew what it was and how much attention was needed to keep it in check and out of other mortals' way. But even knowing that even she needed the sleep and knowing Yusei couldn't leave this darkness alone, she didn't like it.

Jayla sighed in submission and nodded. He could take care of himself unless he really needed the help. If he did, then he would contact Luna telepathically and they would come. "If you say so," she agreed. "Anyway, are you going with join Jack, Crow, and I to talk with Trudge and Mina?"

Yusei shrugged. "I might pop by or listen in. But right now I really want to watch Leo, Luna, and Akiza," he explained.

"Something to do with those men?" she asked and he nodded.

"They knew I had Luna as my envoy and they knew Leo and Akiza were also envoys," he explained. "I'm worried those men will come after at least one of them at some point."

"Are all deities as protective of envoys as you?" Jayla asked.

"Not all," he answered. "Tsukiyomi really just wants an envoy to get some of the power that comes with it. Yes, he would be worried to some extent about his envoy ending up like this, but he wouldn't care too. You have to remember, he's the ruler of the Underworld."

"True," she agreed.

"Besides, Izanagi and Amaterasu have their own jobs to worry about in the Divine Realm. Izanagi is governing the deities and keeping an huge fights from starting; Amaterasu is guarding the sun and the heavens," Yusei added. "As the only god really able to interfere and protect our envoys the best, I have to protect them."

"What about the ones in America and Africa that you mentioned when you first arrived back?" Jayla asked.

"You think I've been hanging around New Domino alone?" Yusei asked a bit shocked and she blinked confused. "As I've always done for eons, I need to fly around the entire world once and a while to keep the wind up and freshen the air. And I also visit the envoys once and a while to ensure they're doing okay and doing their job well."

"So they know about the deities?" Jayla asked. "How?"

"Our envoys that we choose are ones that are special. Whether they have a connection to us in some way or a special connection to our element. The one Suijin chose in America was gifted with water based things: marine animals, swimming, etcetera. The one Sarutahiko chose in Africa is gifted with working with the earth, respects it and its underground creatures, and all about the ground and terrain of this planet," Yusei explained. "But the envoys we choose either believe in us or are undecided. When we choose envoys that have never heard of us or were unsure if we existed, we ask Izanagi to allow us to do as I am doing now to meet our envoy after we mark them until we need to head back, so we can explain to them their duty and that they are our envoys that we chose to tell people of the gods. Those two were unsure and shocked at first, but Suijin and Sarutahiko showed them their powers and explained to them it was their destiny, gave them a vision of all the deities, and told them why they chose the their envoys. They knew about us after they met Suijin and Sarutahiko and believed we existed. With that in play, they began to try to help people believe in us. But they haven't been able to make much of an impact due to the countries they live in and how people reacted to it. After the Immortals and everything that has happened here, people have a bit more of an opened mind set in New Domino. If Leo and Luna ever move, they'll need to take their job to that country and get people to believe them there."

"I see," Jayla responded.

"Now, come on. We'd better get back before our friends begin to worry," Yusei told her. "And I need to get back to Leo and Luna."

"Right," she agreed and got on her runner. "Hey, Yusei, do you know what to expect from this dinner Trudge and Mina are bringing us to?"

"I do," he answered. "But like before, I can't say anything." She sighed but nodded in acceptance.

"I'll see you later," she told him and Yusei nodded before taking to the air and disappearing while Jayla took off to the garage again.

. . .

Later that night, Trudge and Mina sat across from Jayla, Jack, and Crow in a fancy restaurant. As soon as they got the food, Crow dug in.

"Thanks. I don't know what this is about but…" Crow stopped mid-sentence and noticed Jack and Jayla weren't eating. "Come on, guys, eat."

Jack folded his arms as he said, "This is strange."

Mina and Trudge coughed a bit and Mina asked, stuttering a bit, "W-What is it?"

"Martha always told me, 'Nothing in this world is free. Be thankful to those who speak strict words to you. Watch out for a person who talks to nicely'," Jayla replied.

"It's just as Jayla says, you wouldn't treat us like this for no reason," Jack agreed.

Trudge and Mina obviously were getting nervous. "W-What is it?" Trudge stuttered like Mina.

"So there's no strings attached?" Jack asked.

Trudge hesitantly replied, "Truth is, I have a small favor to ask you."

"I knew it," Jack groaned.

"It's nothing too difficult. We found a person with memory loss. We were wondering if you could take care of him," Mina told them.

"Why should we do something like that?" Jayla asked. Yusei was listening from outside, hidden behind a wall and he knew she was right; He would've even asked that. Trudge and Mina could've found someone else to take care of the guy. There was no true reason to ask them as far as he could tell.

"Right now, New Domino City is busy with the tourists and turbo duelists. It's okay if just for a little while," Mina replied.

"Our garage isn't a hotel," Jack retorted.

"Besides, we can't take care of anyone right now anyways," Crow added still eating.

"Come on, Jayla," Trudge begged.

"Sorry, but we can't," she responded.

"Jack, please," Mina begged.

"No," he refused bluntly.

"Can't you do something?" Trudge continued to Crow.

"Sorry, but we really can't," he intervened.

"You're being treated to something like this and you plan to refuse?" Trudge asked mad.

"Where is he right now?" Crow asked.

"He should have been here a long time ago," Trudge remarked.

"If he doesn't come, we can't do anything," Crow told them.

Later, they walked back into the garage. As they walked, Crow said, "That was close. We were about to take in a stranger."

"That's because you ate all that food without paying attention to the details," Jack remarked.

"That's because I never know when I'll eat food like that again!" Crow retorted while Jayla sighed.

"Sometimes I wonder if you ever fought this much back when you were younger," came Yusei's voice and they turned to see him at the window sill. He looked in one direction calmly.

That's when they noticed someone, a man, working on Jack's runner. "What're you doing to my runner?!" Jack asked angry. "Are you one of those duel runner thieves?" He then punched the man in the face so hard, the man flew to the ground. "Don't ever come near my duel runner again! Be glad I'm only doing this to you!" He then drove off.

Yusei sighed and helped the person up while Jayla asked the man, "Are you okay?"

"Guys, we should just leave that guy alone," Crow told us.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Yusei responded. He knew this was coming and knew that this man would be a huge help for Jayla and the others. He was needed even if Jack didn't believe it.

Trudge and Mina ran over. "What happened?" the male officer asked.

"It wasn't Jack's fault," Crow replied and pointed over to the man next to Yusei and Jayla. "It's because this guy messed with Jack's duel runner."

"Bruno!" Mina called at the man. "Why are you in a place like this?"

Bruno got on his knees and apologized, "Sorry. I thought his duel runner was amazing and I got sucked up into it."

"Is this the person you wanted us to look after?" Jayla asked.

"Yeah," Mina answered.

"What should we do?" Crow asked Jayla.

"Even if I asked him to…" Jayla was cut off by Jack coming in.

Jack grabbed Bruno and said, "I'll return him later." He then rode off again.

"What's going on?" Crow wondered.

"Let's go," Yusei said and turned to Mina and Trudge as Jayla and Crow boarded their duel runner.

"Let us handle the rest," Jayla told them.

They found Bruno being thrown to the ground. "Please stop," Bruno begged. "I hate violence." Yusei flew over and grabbed Jack's arm to hold him back.

"Jack, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Crow asked the Signer.

Jack ignored him and asked Bruno, "What did you do to my runner?"

"What're you talking about?" Jayla wondered.

"My duel runner's power has increased," Jack answered surprising her.

"All I did was adjust the computer in your runner a bit," Bruno told them.

"Jayla tried to increase the power of our duel runners so much," Crow stated. "And you did all of that in that short amount of time."

"That's the only thing I can think of," Jack added.

Jayla walked up to Bruno and placed her hands on Bruno's shoulders, kindly asking him, "How did you do it?"

Bruno got up and went to a computer with Jack's runner on it. Yusei came next to them interested a bit. "I changed the timing of the boosters so it can power up slightly," he informed.

"I hadn't noticed it before," she said.

Yusei nodded and said, "It makes sense, though. I'm surprised we didn't think of it."

"What're they talking about?" Crow asked.

"I have no idea," Jack replied. "Don't let your guard down. I can't think of him as being an ally."

Yusei looked at Jack and Crow making them turn back to us. "Guys, he's actually someone who will be a valuable ally and friend of yours. You don't need to worry about him," he told the two nearly silent while using the wind to carry his voice to the two Signers. They looked at the god shocked. They stayed silent and returned all three attention to Bruno explaining.

"This is also applied to Crow and your duel runners," he told Jayla. "If I tweak the program, the power should be greater than now."

"Really?" Crow asked.

"Crow, are you listening to what he's saying?" Jack asked still not fully ready to trust Bruno.

Bruno turned to Crow. "I'll adjust it right away," he told the bird named man. Crow was thrilled about it while Jack face-palmed.

"Is your name…" Jayla asked but Bruno finished.

"Yeah, my name is Bruno," he answered. "You're Jayla, Crow, and Jack, right?" They nodded. "But who are you exactly?"

"Yusei," he answered.

"With your skills, I want you to look at this. It's not moving so well," Jayla said and brought him over to her duel runner's computer.

"This is the Ener-D engine using your project," Bruno responded.

"Does it still rotate?" Crow asked.

"It doesn't yet," Yusei replied.

"It's just using a program right now. But it's better for you to use it," Bruno added. "The Ener-D in a duel runner engine gets worn down as it is used."

"But you can use the program to improve the speed, right?" Yusei asked.

"Right," he answered.

"Isn't that what the new engine was for?" Jack asked. "Are you making a mistake?"

"Can you stay quiet for a while? We're talking about something important right now," Jayla told Jack. Yusei sighed, but didn't bother to correct Jayla. This was important things she needed to know for their duel runners.

Though, Yusei did hear Jack ask, "Are you serious?" The eldest female Signer and amnesiac man ignored him and continued to talk to Bruno.

. . .

The next day, Yusei sat with Bruno and Jayla as they talked about some programming information.

"Thanks for the help, Bruno," Jayla told him.

"Yeah," Yusei agreed. "Your suggestions have been helpful."

"Your basics for it were solid. As I would've expected for Dr. Sito's daughter," Bruno responded.

"Did you know my mother?" Jayla asked.

Bruno didn't answer to the question. "Professor Fudo's and Dr. Sito's Ener-D is in all the duel runner engines. Any duel runner mechanic would know." He looked at Yusei. "Does your name come from the Yusei Gear?" he asked the god.

"I think so," Yusei replied, trying to play along with Bruno's belief that he was Hakase Fudo's son until he was ready to reveal that he was a god to the amnesiac.

"Is that true? It's an interesting name. The 'Yusei Gear' is an interesting name," Bruno responded.

"I can agree on that," Jayla said making them look at her. "One gear won't do anything. The central gear uses the surrounded gears to rotate."

Bruno nodded. "If we were just using parts of the duel runner, what's the central gear that moves them?" he asked.

"It's the duel monsters that are with us in turbo duels. Above that, we have bonds with Jack, Crow, Jayla, and the others," Yusei replied and Jayla nodded.

"It sounds wonderful," Bruno commented.

"Mina told us you lost your memories," Jayla mentioned.

"When I realized it, I was washed up on the beach," Bruno explained.

"Were you in some sort of accident?" Yusei asked. Izanagi had told him about Bruno's ability to help in the coming events, who he was and that he had amnesia, but he didn't tell Yusei about Bruno's past.

"I don't remember it at all," he replied. "But when I work on duel runner and duel, it feels like I can remember something."

"Maybe I can help," Yusei stated. They looked at him.

"How?" Bruno asked.

"Yusei's a god," Jayla told him. Bruno looked at him shocked.

"It's a long story," he told the man. "I'm the God of Wind, better known as Futen. Yusei Fudo is my old mortal identity from a previous timeline. I'm not sure how many memories I can retrieve for you since I'm not Izanagi, but I can try to get some back."

"You really think you can get some of my memories back?" Bruno asked sounding a bit hopeful.

"I can try," Yusei told him. "Do you want to? It can be a bit painful as I'm forcing the memories back but it isn't too much. And I won't do it unless you want to. Sometimes people forget things not just because they get hit in the head hard when they crash, but also because they subconsciously want to lock the memories away. So are you sure you want to get some back? The ones I am able to bring back may not be pleasant."

"I'm sure. I need to have at least some memories of who I was. So, try. Please," Bruno responded.

"Alright," Yusei agreed. He walked up and placed a hand on his head. He began to shift through the man's mind, breaking as many "locks" on the memories as possible.

Yusei came across and unlocked a couple that had him confused and one of those two worried him. One was Vizor lying in a tube next to another with a heart monitor beeping and two people looking over the two. The heart monitor went flat signalling both of their deaths. The other one was Vizor dueling Primo on a ocean cliffside road. Suddenly, a cat came onto the road and Vizor tried to swerve around it when Primo pushed him off the cliff.

After those memories, he focused on unlocking as many others as possible. When he could bring back anymore, he pulled back and looked at Bruno for any problems. But Yusei wasn't going to question Bruno on the first memory yet. But from what he could tell, Bruno was Vizor.

"Th-Thanks, Yusei. It's good to have some of my memories back," Bruno told him.

"No problem," Yusei responded.

"Do you remember how you lost your memories?" Jayla asked.

"I… was dueling a guy named Primo by an oceanside cliff when he pushed me off," Bruno explained and I fell into the water.

"Yusei, didn't you say one of the men who took you was named Primo?" Jayla asked. He nodded. "Think it's the same guy."

"It is," he answered. He turned back to Bruno. "Don't worry, though. We'll find a way to get the rest of your memories back."

"Could you stay awhile?" Jayla asked.

"Is that okay?" Bruno asked.

"Yeah. For the WRGP, we need a new machine," Yusei answered.

"If that's okay with you, I'll become part of the gear that reaches towards your dreams," Bruno agreed.

"Thanks," Jayla responded and they grabbed hands while Yusei grinned.


	17. Gone and Gone

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 17: Gone and Gone

A while later, Jack and Crow were sitting around, with annoyed and bored expressions and their faces. Leo and Luna then came into the room and Leo asked, "Jayla, can you come play?"

"Leo just found a new combo," Luna added.

Seconds later, Akiza came in. "Jayla, I have a problem with my physics," she said.

Yusei heard Crow shush them. They began to talk about Bruno a bit. Yusei turned and said, "I'll help you guys a bit. Jayla's a bit busy." They smiled in thanks.

"If anyone knows anything about the laws of physics, it's you," Akiza commented.

Yusei smirked. He helped Akiza with her physics homework, answering any questions she had. After that, he turned and hung out with the twins a bit, helping Leo with his new combo. Despite not dueling anymore or in so long, he was still a skilled duelist and knew as much about dueling as he did when he dueled all the time as a mortal.

Once everything was done, he turned back to Bruno and Jayla and helped them as they typed on the keyboard until they finished the program for the three's duel runners.

"We did it," Bruno said. "This program is a miracle."

"Yeah," Jayla agreed followed by Yusei.

"Can I take a quick rest since I haven't had a rest for two days?" Bruno asked.

"Yeah, I haven't either," Jayla responded and Yusei nodded.

"We'll install the program into the machine tomorrow," the god suggested. They nodded and Bruno and Jayla went to bed while Yusei headed back to Leo and Luna's to sleep.

. . .

The next day, they woke up to find the program they made gone.

"The data was stolen?!" Jack exclaimed angry.

"I was careless," Jayla admitted. "I should have kept a backup."

"It's all our fault. All three of us were careless," Bruno stated. "Right now, there's nothing we can do about it."

Jack grabbed Bruno and asked him, "Were you the one who stole it? I thought you were suspicious from the start."

"You're wrong. It wasn't me," Bruno replied.

"Let Bruno go," Yusei told Jack.

"Don't stop me! I'll get everything out of Bruno," Jack retorted.

"Jack, stop it already," Crow stated defensively, walking over.

"Why are you trying to protect him?" Jack asked.

"There's nothing to protect. If Bruno did it, then he would have ran away after stealing the data," Crow reasoned. "What kind of thief would stick around after stealing something?"

"Whatever," Jack gave in and let Bruno go.

"Creating a program needs a lot of work. It's complicated," Bruno said. He folded his arms, adding, "It's near impossible to create the program Yusei, Jayla, and I made."

"The only way to get it back is to find the thief, then," Jack said.

Crow blew over the computer keyboard and said, "The guy didn't leave behind any evidence. I can't even find a fingerprint."

"Without any evidence, how can we find the thief?" Jack wondered.

"Have you forgotten I'm a god?" Yusei asked and they looked at him. "If you want to see what happened then, I can show you."

"You know?!" Jack exclaimed angrily.

"I didn't say that," Yusei replied sternly. "I just said I can show you what happened. I can use my power to playback the event from last night and allow all of us to see what happened then. I don't know who it is yet, but we can find out together."

"Do it, Yusei," Crow ordered while Jack seemed a bit angry that Yusei waited until now to mention this or even look into the passed.

Yusei turned a placed a hand in the air. I glowed before the light spread across the room and they found their surroundings back into the place of last night. Yusei brought his hand down and seemed to focus.

They turned as the door opened, but the shadows forbid them from seeing the entering figure clearly. The person silently crept through the area and to the garage where they took the program. They looked at it for a second when a bit of light shined through and showed the person.

"Lazar?!" Crow exclaimed as the clown man ran out just as silently. Yusei brought down the ability and their surroundings returned to their original time.

"Did you know that man?" Bruno asked.

"His name's Lazar, the Assistant Director of the Public Maintenance Bureau," Jayla answered.

"Well now we know who it is," Yusei stated. "We need to find him and get the program. I have a bad feeling as to who he is going to give it to." They nodded and took off, Yusei in the air and the others on their runners.

Yusei flew around for a bit until he saw Bruno and Jayla following Lazar. Lazar's car pulled up to a mall and Yusei knew it was to get rid of Jayla and Bruno. He immediately landed beside the two and they nodded at each other. They followed Lazar in and were close behind him when a horde of people passed between them and they lost Lazar while Yusei, Bruno, and Jayla were separated from each other.

Yusei turned to get to Jayla and Bruno when something clipped to his wrist and he felt his deity powers lock away from his use. As soon as he felt that, he knew exactly what that meant. He turned to see Primo holding by a metal cord a metal, bracelet like cuff attached to his wrist.

"Primo…" he growled. "Let go of me."

"You're coming with me, Futen," he snapped. "And you're not getting away this time."

Yusei tried pulling out of his hold, but Primo's grip wouldn't budge and the god couldn't even break the cuff. Primo began to pull him out of the area despite Yusei trying to break out of the grip of the cuff and Primo's grip.

"Yusei!" called Jayla's voice followed by Bruno.

"Jayla! Bruno!" he called back, beginning to fight Primo in order to buy him enough time for his two friends to get to him.

"Yusei!" called Jayla's voice again sounding worried.

Primo seemed to order something and a group of people cut off Jayla and Bruno's path to him. He turned to Yusei. "No one will save you this time," he told Yusei sternly. They came out a back exit and Primo flung Yusei into the back of a car. The god hit it hard and he landed slid to the bed. He tried to get up but Primo forced him down before poking a needle into his neck and putting him asleep. Though Yusei heard Primo say just before darkness took him, "You'll be the one who strengthens the power to bring this world into a better age."

. . .

As soon as the crowd dispersed, Jayla and Bruno hurried to find Yusei gone. "Where did that guy take him?" Bruno asked.

"I'm not sure," Jayla answered. "But we need to find him. That man looked like one of those men who originally took Yusei. I think Yusei said his name was Primo. And if that's so, Yusei's in a lot of danger."

"I have a feeling that wherever Lazar was heading, Primo and Yusei will be too," Bruno stated.

"Then let's focus on finding Lazar again," Jayla responded. _'And pray to all the deities out there that Yusei isn't killed before we find him,'_ she added in thought.


	18. Found Discovery

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 18: Found Discovery

Lazar walked inside a closed down warehouse building by the New Domino pier and met Primo in one of the halls of the building. "The program, sir," he stated.

"You are dismissed," Primo responded and Lazar left. Primo turned to a surveillance camera and saw Jayla and Bruno entering the building. "So she's here. Looking for Futen and the program, no doubt. But they're too late."

Primo pressed a button before walking off.

. . .

Jayla and Bruno walked around the building and found a factory full of unfamiliar machinery. "This is almost like a spaceship or something," Bruno stated.

"I guess," Jayla agreed.

They walked around to further investigate the area. "Do you have any idea on where Yusei is in here?" Bruno asked the Signer.

Jayla tried using her mark to get any feeling as to where the god was, but couldn't find anything. She shook her head to Bruno's question. "No. Then again, the only one who really could is Luna."

"True," he agreed. "But we'll find him, I'm sure of it." She nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, alarms went off a door with a purple aura around it separated Jayla from Bruno. "Bruno!" Jayla called.

"I'm fine!" the man called back.

Jayla looked for any button or ability to open the door but found nothing. "I can't get back to you," she called told him.

"Then, I'll keep up my search on this side while you keep up yours," Bruno stated.

"Be careful, Bruno," Jayla told him. "I don't like the feeling I'm getting about this place." She then ran through the halls, keeping an eye out for Lazar and Yusei. _'How big is this place?'_ she thought. She turned a corner and noticed a familiar, purple haired clown turning into a room. _'Lazar…'_ she thought.

As soon as she got within arm's reach of Lazar, Jayla grabbed him and pinned him to the wall, with her arm at Lazar's neck.

"Oh, hello, Jayla," Lazar greeted nervously. "Wha-What seems to be the problem?"

"Where's the program and Yusei?" she asked sternly.

"Why, I don't know anything about either of them," Lazar denied innocently.

"Don't play dumb, Lazar," Jayla ordered. "Where are they?" Slight anger and frustration was growing in her voice.

"Uh… um… uh…" Lazar stammered. He was obviously trying to find a way out of the situation without telling anything of what he knew but he was struggling to with Jayla's growing glare that only seemed to grow stronger the longer he waited. "I… You see, I don't know about this Yusei you speak of, but my higher ups…" Lazar was cut off as a robot came out, taking their attention to it.

"Orders received. Closing and locking all exits in room," it listed off.

' _That's not good,'_ Jayla thought as the doors shut and were locked tight. She went to one and tried to open it but it wouldn't budge. She growled slightly and thought, _'How am I going to find to Yusei before he's killed now?'_ She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "We're trapped here, then," she stated. She sent a glare at Lazar before letting him go.

"Lockdown sequence complete. If the doors are to be unlocked, you must defeat me in a duel," the robot requested.

"So we have to beat that thing to get out?" Jayla asked.

"Correct," the robot answered. "Choose a player."

"Uh, how about one of you do it?" Lazar suggested.

"Fine," Jayla agreed. She jumped over the railing and onto the ground. She got her duel disk and deck ready in its slot.

"Duel initiated," the robot called. "Opponent may have first turn."

"Fine," Jayla agreed and drew her card. "I activate the spell card One for One! By sending Speed Warrior from my hand to the graveyard, I can special summon Level Eater (Attack 600/ Defense 0) in defense mode. I then summon Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500) in attack mode and activate its effect. This allows me to special summon Speed Warrior (Attack 900/ Defense 400) from my graveyard in defense mode with its effects negated. Now I tune Speed Warrior with Junk Synchron in order to synchro summon, Junk Warrior (Attack 2300/ Defense 1300)!" Her monster came to the field with his signature punch. "And due to Junk Warrior's effect, it gains attack equal to the attack of all level two or below monsters I control (Junk Warrior: Attack 2900). I then set a face down and end my turn."

The robot drew his card. "Activating card, Level Limit- Area B! Now all level four or above monsters will be changed to defense position," it declared and Junk Warrior switched to its defense mode. "Ending turn with three face downs."

Jayla drew her card. "I activate Graceful Revival to special summon Speed Warrior from my graveyard in attack mode," she declared.

"Activating counter, Malfunction to negate the activation of Graceful Revival and resetting it by paying 500 life points," the robot fought and its life points fell to 3500. And since Graceful Revival was negated Speed Warrior returned to the graveyard. "And now since a counter trap card I control negated one of your cards, I can special summon Lock Dragon (Attack 0/ Defense 2000) in defense position. Now while Lock Dragon is in face up defense mode, both players are forbidden from special summoning monsters. I then activate Counter Force. This card gains one Charge Counter due to a counter trap card being activated. During my standby phase, I can send Counter Force to the graveyard and inflict 1000 points of damage to you for each Charge Counter that is on Counter Force."

' _That thing is going to try to put four counters on it, so it can inflict 4000 points of damage at me. I need to find a way around this monster and fast,'_ Jayla thought.

. . .

Meanwhile, Bruno walked into a new room and looked around in shock. Suddenly, the door opened behind him and he couldn't see who it was before he was knocked out.

. . .

"I set a face down and end my turn," Jayla finished.

The bot drew its card. "I activate Summon Pass! Now when a player normal summon a level four or below monster, the player's opponent draws one card and the summoned monster's controller must then call what type of card is drawn, a monster, spell, or trap. If the player calls wrong, the summoned monster is destroyed," it declared. "I set one face down and end my turn."

Jayla drew. "I switch Level Eater into attack position and activate Synchro Gift. By reducing Junk Warrior's attack to 0 (Junk Warrior: Attack 0) until the end phase, I can increase the attack of Level Eater by the original attack of Junk Warrior until the end phase (Level Eater: Attack 2900)," she declared. "Level Eater, attack Lock Dragon!"

"Countering with Negate Attack. This negates the attack and ends the battle phase. And then the effect of Counter Force activates, giving it a second Charge Counter," the robot countered.

"I end my turn," Yusei finished and due to it being the end phase, Level Eater's attack returned to 600 and Junk Warrior's attack returned to 2900.

. . .

Bruno woke up in a hallway and was met by Jack and Crow. "Where's Jayla?" Crow asked.

"We were both split up when a wall fell between us," Bruno explained. "We decided to have me search this way while Jayla searched on her side."

"Let's try to find her and Yusei," Crow suggested.

They walked around until they reached what seemed like a surveillance room. They looked through the video footage and saw one of Yusei being locked in a cage with a man that looked like Primo walking up to him. They turned as saw Jayla in a room just a few doors down when they noticed she was dueling a robot.

"Why is she dueling that thing?" Jack wondered and Bruno went to work on trying to get into the system.

. . .

The robot drew a card. "Setting one face down and ending turn," it declared.

Jayla drew her card. She was beginning to worry. _'The longer I stay here dueling this robot, the less time I have before I won't be able to save Yusei,'_ she thought. That's when alarms started going off and lights blinked in an eerie, red glowing pattern.

"SELF-DESTRUCTION INITIATED! PLEASE EVACUATE THE PREMISES IMMEDIATELY!" a mechanical voice called. It continued to repeat its warning over and over.

"Jayla, please hurry!" Lazar called.

"I'm trying, Lazar! I have to find Yusei, anyways," she retorted. She turned back to the duel. "I summon Drill Synchron (Attack 800/ Defense 300) in attack mode!"

"I activate the effect of Summon Pass!" the robot called and it drew its card. "Guess the type of card."

"A trap," Yusei stated. The robot revealed the card to be the trap card, Barrel Behind the Door. "I activate Blind Spot Strike! This increases the attack of Drill Synchro by the defense of Lock Dragon until the end phase."

"Activating, Magic Jammer. This negates the effect of your card and destroys it by discarding Barrel Behind the Door! This also added a third Charge Counter to Counter Force," the robot defended.

"I end my turn," Jayla finished.

" _Jayla!"_ came Crow's voice over a com system. _"You need to get out of there!"_

"Are you watching this?"Jayla called.

" _Yeah, and you need to get out of there now!"_ Jack replied.

"I can't. This entire room's been put on lockdown until I beat this robot. I have Lazar in here too and neither of us can leave until I beat this thing,"she explained.

" _Then hurry it up!"_ Crow retorted.

"I'm trying, Crow. For now, all of you get out of here. I'll meet you outside. Have you found Yusei?"Jayla responded.

" _He's in a room a couple doors from the room you're in now,"_ Bruno answered.

"Okay,"Yusei answered. "But I'll get to him as soon as I'm done here. For now, you three get out."

" _Yusei, you don't have time to beat that thing and look for him,"_ Bruno stated. _"We'll get him."_

"You guys don't have time to head all the way over here and get out with him. I'll get him on my way out. But if anyone takes Yusei from that room he's in, find them before they can get too far and follow them," Jayla ordered.

" _Fine. But you better make it out okay,"_ Jack agreed.

Jayla then turned back to the duel again, blocking out Lazar's urgent, and annoying, calls for the Signer to hurry.

The robot drew its card. "Activating Messenger of Peace! Now neither player can attack with monsters that have 1500 or more attack points," it declared. "And during each of my standby phases, I must either pay 100 life points or destroy Messenger of Peace. Ending turn there."

Jayla drew her card. "I activate Double Cyclone! By targeting my set Graceful Revival and your Counter Force, I can destroy them," she declared.

"Activating Solemn Judgement to negate the effect of Double Cyclone by paying half my life points," the robot declared and its life points fell to 1750. The effect of Counter Force activated, giving it a fourth counter.

"I tribute Level Eater in order to tribute summon Earthquake Giant (Attack 1600/ Defense 2100) in attack mode," she fought but due to the effect of Level Limit- Area B, Jayla's monster was switched to defense position since it was a level five monster. "I activate the effect of Earthquake Giant! Since its battle position was changed, I can switch Lock Dragon to attack mode. And this means Lock Dragon's effect is no longer applied to both players. And then I activate, Panic Wave! By destroying Graceful Revival, I can negate the effects of all face up Continuous Spell and Trap cards and any effect monsters you control this turn. So now I tune Junk Warrior with Drill Synchron to synchro summon, Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)! Now Stardust Dragon, attack Lock Dragon!" The attack succeeded and the robot's life points fell to 0.

All the doors were unlocked and Jayla ordered, "Lazar, get out of here! I have to go find Yusei! But I'm coming for you next." Lazar gulped before running off.

Jayla hurried to the room nearby her location and found Primo about to move Yusei's cage. "What do you think you're doing?" she called making him stop.

Primo turned to her with a smug look. "I see you defeated the robot with quite a bit of time to spare," he stated. "We need his power to remake the world into a better light and create a better future for everyone."

"Destruction will not create a better future," Yusei argued. "Other mortals on other worlds tried to do the same as you and it ended in the destruction and death of that world. If you try to do the same, it will no doubt happen here as well."

"Primo, let him go. Do you realize what will happen if you take all his power?" Jayla asked.

"A god's powers are practically limitless. Once they are gone, the power will refuel in the god's body," Primo replied.

"No, Primo, that's a lie," Yusei told him. "A god's power and energy isn't limitless. We can recharge it after we use some of it, but if it becomes nothing in our bodies and isn't able to recharge before there is nothing left to recharge, we die. And do you know what happens to the universe when even one god dies?" The man stayed silent, glaring. "The universe will go out of balance and will most likely collapse."

"Then we won't take all your power," Primo stated. "We'll just drain it until it needs to be recharged again and again, besides that'll increase the amount of power you give us and our plan."

"Primo, you don't want to go down this path," Jayla told him sternly. "Let Yusei go before you and your friends make the worst mistake of your lives."

Primo shot a hand forward and Jayla was thrown back by a pulsewave. "Jayla!" Yusei called as she sat up a bit dazed. "Jayla, are you alright?"

"Don't worry about her, Futen," Primo told him. "I would worry much more about yourself." He then moved Yusei's cage out of the room and into a truck which had Lester waiting in the trailer of it and Jakob in the passenger seat of the driver's area of a semi-truck.

"Oh, Futen… I think I'll stay with you to ensure you don't play any tricks," Lester called. "And so will Primo."

"Tricks? When you locked his powers away and he's in a cage, I'm not sure of many tricks he can do," came Crow's voice and they turned to see him, Bruno, and Jack with Jayla running beside them.

Primo reached to shut the trailer and wind held the door open. "How are you doing this?!" he asked Yusei.

"I'm using something only the eldest deities have, Archaic Energy. The oldest there is and the one that is only able to surpass the boundaries of the metal you've put me in," the god explained and the wind began to blow as hard as thirty miles per hour and Jayla and the others were struggling to keep themselves in place. "It drains a lot of my energy the longer I use it. I am only allowed to use it as a last resort if needed." Some currents of wind blew into the trailer and forced the two youngest men of the opposing side to the back of the trailer and held them there while some others wrapped around the cage and bent the bars enough to let Yusei out. He climbed out and walked out.

Once he was off, the wind's force pushed the trailer and truck onto the side and protected the god, Signers, and Bruno from the explosion of the building. After a second after the explosion cleared, the wind stopped and Yusei fell to his hands and knees weakly. His friends hurried to him, worry on their features.

"Are you okay?" Bruno asked.

"I'm fine. Using Archaic energy just takes a lot out of me," Yusei replied.

"Come on, Yusei," Crow called helping the God of Wind up. "Let's get out of here."

"Right," he agreed and followed them out of the area.

. . .

Primo and the others climbed out of the truck. "So he had a hidden power that he locked away," Primo stated.

"Energy that now it has been released again will add to the energy he already has. Perhaps enough energy to remake the world without the Circuit," Jakob added. "We will get him back. And when we do, he'll be sorry he did this to us."


	19. Worries

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 19: Worries

It had been four days since Yusei was nearly taken again and he revealed his hidden and once locked away Archaic Energy. Yusei knew the dangers that were to come now that the men had knew of his hidden power that he had locked away until he really needed it, to ensure no one was able to take such ancient energy from him.

At the moment, Yusei landed at the garage after a flight. He saw Zora standing outside the garage, watching something. He walked outside to check on her followed by Crow and the others who had noticed him land outside the garage.

"Hey, Zora, why are you so upset?" Crow asked.

"Oh, be quiet!" Zora yelled.

"What's troubling you?" Yusei asked calmly.

Zora sighed. "The town committee has decided they'll be replacing the cuckoo clock that I've cherished," she explained.

They looked at it and Crow mentioned, "It isn't moving."

"Don't remind me of that!" Zora yelled.

"That's pretty awful. To lose something you care about," Jayla stated.

"Yes, indeed," Zora agreed.

"Why is Zora being so mean to me?" Yusei heard Crow mumble.

"My son is coming to visit, but we're in an argument," Zora stated a bit depressed. She then covered Crow's ears and yelled, "You know!" Everyone couldn't help but laugh at it.

Zora stalked inside, leaving them to return to working on the duel runners. After a bit of working on them, Yusei heard someone open the door. All of them turned to a man standing in the doorway.

"Nice duel runners," a man complimented.

"Aren't you Zora's son?" Jayla asked.

"Yep," he replied. "My name is Lyndon. I set out three years ago to study clocks and just returned to repair the broken one here."

"Your actions were the worst," Crow stated.

"He's the worst," Jack corrected.

"Did you leave in order to train yourself?" Akiza asked.

"Yep," Lyndon answered.

"You should probably apologize to Zora, Lyndon," Yusei told him gently. "Try to make things right again." Lyndon seemed hesitant.

"Would Zora fight with her son again?" the God of Wind heard Akiza wonder aloud.

"Yeah," Lyndon replied.

"The stronger your bonds are with your parents, the harder it is to get words across," Akiza added. The boy grabbed her hands and shook them in agreement to her statement.

Jayla grabbed Lyndon and pulled him away. "You should probably get to work fixing the clock," she told him.

"Yeah," Crow agreed. "The old clock is going to be replaced."

Lyndon immediately dashed to fix the clock. Akiza, however, called out to stop him, "You need to change into something better."

. . .

Yusei, Jack, and Jayla followed Akiza as she led Lyndon to a tuxedo store. She got Lyndon to dress in a tuxedo while the other three watched from the side.

"Wouldn't you be helping Akiza with this?" Jack asked Jayla.

Jayla looked at him while Yusei stared at her as well. "No," she answered. "I'm not very skilled in clothing like this. I don't wear anything fancy, after all. You know that."

Jack scoffed. "Would've expected a girl to want to get into an actual dress more often," he stated.

Yusei sighed and Jayla ordered sternly, "Jack, don't go there." The tallest male Signer glared a bit and they turned back to Lyndon.

The clockworker began to have a bit of trouble with his tie so Jack walked over. He grabbed the end of it and pulled on it tightly before Akiza stopped him. "I'll do it," she stated and successfully, and easily, tied it in place.

"How did you learn to tie those things?" Jayla asked.

"My father needs to tie his tie every morning. So I got used to it," Akiza answered.

"You did that a lot when you were young too, right, Akiza?" Yusei asked.

Akiza grinned and agreed with, "Right."

"Well, now that that's done, why don't we get you to your mother?" she suggested kindly.

"Yeah," Lyndon agreed and they left. He asked them to stay outside while he confronted his mother. They waited outside the door, just out of view, as his mother saw him, clearly shocked by his presence. "Mom, I came back to fix the clock tower for you."

"Is this how Lyndon was supposed to apologize to his mother?" Jack wondered.

"Easy, Jack," Yusei told him. "I wouldn't be as easy as you would think."

But just as Lyndon finished explaining why he left and why he came back, Zora picked up a chair and threw it at him. The son tripped but, thankfully, wasn't hit by the chair.

"It was you who broke the clock!" Zora yelled.

Crow came up and asked, "What happened?"

Lyndon explained everything and Jayla asked Yusei in a whisper, "Did you know?"

"Yes, but it wouldn't be right to tell you without his permission. It's a personal matter," he replied. Jayla sighed but nodded in acceptance.

They were brought back to the situation at hand when Zora asked Lyndon, "Do you even have the courage to fix the clock?" Her son looked down doubtful.

Lyndon turned to leave again but Crow stepped in front of him. "You can't run away, Lyndon. How about a duel? If I win, you have to apologize to your mother and fix the clock. But if you win, you can do whatever you please," the bird named man challenged.

"Fine," Lyndon agreed. They each grabbed their decks and duel disks. Yusei paid close attention to Crow as he knew his old friend was going to pull something. Lyndon went first and drew his card. "I summon Monster Clock (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack mode. That's all for now."

Crow drew. "I summon Blackwing- Fane the Steel Chain (Attack 500/ Defense 800) in attack mode. And since I control a Blackwing, I can special summon Blackwing- Gale the Whirlwind (Attack 1300/ Defense 400) from my hand in attack mode. Now Gale the Whirlwind, attack his Monster Clock!" he ordered.

"I activate the effect of Monster Clock! When this card is selected as an attack target, I can equip it with the attacking monster and increase its attack equal to the attacking monster (Monster Clock: Attack 1300)!" Lyndon defended.

"Well, Fane the Steel Chain can attack you directly with its own effect," Crow stated and his monster successfully dealt damage dropping Lyndon's life points to 3500. "I end my turn there."

Lyndon drew his card and declared, "I summon Clock Knight No. 12 (Attack 1200/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. Now since I control a Clock Knight, I can activate the spell Clockwork to special summon Clock Knight No. 3 (Attack 300/ Defense 300) in attack mode, since its level is lower than Clock Knight No. 12. And then I activate the effect of Clock Knight No. 12 to flip a coin. If it lands on a Heads, Clock Knight No. 12 gains 1200 attack points for one turn. But if it lands on a Tails, Clock Knight No. 12 is destroyed." The coin flipped to a Tails but he defended his monster, "I activate the second effect of Clock Knight No. 3 to toss the coin again!" The coin landed on Heads this time increasing Clock Knight No. 12's attack to 2400. "And now I activate the first effect of Clock Knight No. 3 to flip another coin. If it lands on Heads, Clock Knight No. 3 gains 1200 attack points for one turn, but if it lands on tails, Clock Knight No. 3 will be destroyed." It landed on Heads jumping the monster's attack to 1500. "Clock Knight No. 12, attack his Blackwing- Fane the Steel Chain!" The attack destroyed Crow's only monster and dropped Crow's attack to 2100. "Now Clock Knight No. 3, attack Crow directly!"

"I activate the effect of Blackwing- Ghibli the Searing Wind (Attack 0/ Defense 1600) to special summon it from my hand in defense mode," Crow defended. Lyndon chose not to attack again and finished his turn. And due to it being the end phase, both Clock Knights' attacks returned to a normal 1200 and 300 points.

Crow drew his card to begin to his turn. "I set one card face down."

' _Mirror Force? We'll see if Crow actually decides to use it, with what he's probably thinking at the moment,'_ Yusei thought catching sight of it.

"Then I normal summon Blackwing- Blizzard the Far North (Attack 1300/ Defense 0) in attack mode and activate its effect. This allows me to revive my Blackwing- Fane the Steel Chain (Attack 500/ Defense 800) in defense mode," Crow declared. "Now I tune Fane the Steel Chain and Ghibli the Searing Wind with Blizzard the Far North to synchro summon. Rise up, Blackwing Armor Master (Attack 2500/ Defense 1500)! Blackwing Armor Master, attack Clock Knight No. 3!" The attack succeeded and Lyndon's life points fell to 1300. "I end my turn."

"I think I'll forfeit," Lyndon stated in defeat.

"You better not forfeit," Crow retorted. "You need to see every duel to the end. Do you really want to give up in front of Zora?"

Lyndon looked at him shocked. He then grew a determined face and answered, "No, I don't." He drew his card. "I summon Time Wizard (Attack 500/ Defense 400) in attack mode and activate its effect. Now I get to toss a coin and if I call it right, I can destroy your monster." He called his guess. It turned out as correct and Crow's only monster was destroyed. "Monster Clock and Clock Knight No. 12, attack him directly!" The attacks went through and Yusei used a bit of power to tap in and listen to Crow's thoughts as he decided not to use Mirror Force, which would have given him the advantage and won him the duel. But since he didn't use it, the attacks hit and Crow's life points fell to zero.

"Nice duel, Lyndon," Crow stated.

Lyndon turned to walk away but Yusei stopped him by saying, "Lyndon, Crow was the real one who won this duel." He looked at the god. "Crow's set card was Mirror Force. He could've used it to destroy your monsters and the cards in his hand would've given him the edge to win. But he didn't. Instead, he lost so he could show you something."

"And what was that?" Lyndon asked.

"That even when you mess up, you can still win," Jayla chimed in. Lyndon looked shocked.

"Crow showed you that, because you messed up in the past and you were running away from it. You were thinking that you were losing to it," Jayla told him. "But losing to the past is something you should never do." She looked at Zora for a moment who was in a state of shock. "Locking yourself to the past of which separated you from someone is something that is the same to separating yourself. You messed up when you broke the clock, but now it's the future and that time has passed into history. Now you can fix it and amend things with your mother. Who I know deep down, she wants to end this long lasting fight."

Lyndon looked down in thought along with Zora. Slowly, they looked at each other and nodded.

"I think Yusei is right," Zora stated. "This fight has gone on long enough. It is true that I don't like this separation that occurred so long ago. After all, those years of happiness."

"I'll fix the clock like I told you I would," Lyndon stated. He looked at the god. "You're right, Yusei. Running away from the past is something I've done too long. And it's something I need to change in myself, to have myself look more towards the future."

Yusei nodded with a small smile. "Good to hear," he told Zora's son and he grinned. They all went inside for a while to hang out while Lyndon fixed the clock.

Once they were inside, the others began to talk to Yusei, Jayla saying, "You truly know how to help people through their problems, Yusei."

"When you've lived for eons while building worlds, and creating life forms, and watching those life forms, you tend to learn these things,"he responded. Luna looked down a bit. "Something wrong, Luna?"he asked her gently.

"Just… I'm worried what'll happen now that you've unlocked that hidden Archaic Energy you had,"she answered.

"I agree with her," Jack stated. "You hid that power from everyone and locked it away for a reason. Why?"

"Archaic Energy is the oldest of any energy out there. It's the very energy that allowed Izanagi, all the other eldest deities and I create the universe," Yusei began. "However, such a power can be tempting for any mortal life forms to try to control. After all, one god's Archaic Energy alone can destroy and remake an entire world. But it is also unpredictable in the wrong hands. People like those men who would try to take it would most likely get a different outcome than they want. They would reform the world from the beginning of today to after. The power is so massive it will revert this world back to its beginning stages of where Izanagi and all of us created life on this planet. Since this power was so great and dangerous, Izanagi had each of us who had the energy lock it away within ourselves and we would never unlock unless to ensure the world's safety. When our Archaic Energy was locked away, it was taken away from our normal signature energy and thus impossible to be able to read with any device that measures our energy strength. Like they were trying to do when they first had me. Back then, all they could see what my normal energy and that was strong enough. Now that I've unlocked my Archaic Energy, there's no telling how much stronger I've become."

"Can't you… _re_ lock it or something?" Crow asked knowing what it meant if those men grabbed him again. "You did it all those years ago."

"As I said, Archaic Energy is unlike any other. When each of us locked our energy away, we were forced into a two week long coma in order to seal it all away completely," Yusei explained shocking them. "Sealing away energy in your own body isn't painless either, especially energy as powerful as Archaic. Sealing it away to begin with dealt us a lot of internal pain until we went into that coma to finish the job. So right now, I can't lock it away again. Not with what's going on." They looked down in understanding. They then turned as Lyndon came in saying that the clock was done and fixed making Yusei and the others nod, giving a small smile as well. Though Yusei knew fully well, that all of them were worried of what was to come.


	20. Enter Crash Town

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 20: Enter Crash Town

Yusei sat on the window sill of the garage as Jayla walked out. She noticed a note on her desk and picked it up.

It read: " _ **I have heard of you and your girlfriend's friendship with him, Yusei Fudo. I want you to take him away from this town, as he'll surely die here. - Barbara**_." On the very bottom was coordinates to a town called Crash Town.

"Kalin," Jayla muttered.

"You going to go?" Yusei asked making her turn to him.

"If Kalin's in trouble, I have to go help him," Jayla replied.

"I understand. Just keep in mind, there's more to Crash Town than you'd think. There's more to Barbara than you'd think," Yusei responded.

"Mind explaining it to me?" Jayla asked. "Or is it that you can't because Izanagi told you you couldn't?"

"Izanagi didn't warn me or let me know about Crash Town. I often check it out once in awhile, trying to find a way to change the habits of that place," Yusei replied. "Though Kalin is there and isn't in good shape mentally, Barbara has other reasons for calling you to Crash Town. She explain to you Crash Town's problems when you get there. If I come, the most I'll be able to do is help keep you safe and try to find a way to help Kalin and the town."

"Sure you want to come?" Jayla asked. "I mean, what about Luna, Leo, and Akiza? I thought you wanted to stay around them."

"They'll be fine for now," Yusei replied. "I know. And if anything happens, I'll sense it and be able to come over here quickly. Remember, the Crimson Dragon asked me to help all of the Signers and, if needed, protect them. I need to make sure you stay safe while going to Crash Town. The others will be fine until I return with you."

"If you say so. Let's go," she suggested. Yusei flew out while Jayla took off with that. They soon crossed into a desert when Yusei started to look around. "Sense something?"

He nodded. "Some people nearby have a lot of negative emotions," he answered. He pointed toward a cliff and called, "Over there!"

Jayla pulled to a stop, Yusei landing beside her, and looked down the cliff.y The looked to see two men chasing what appeared to be three escaping inmates.

"Those three men are the ones with the most negative emotions; Sadness, guilt, worry, and a lot of others," Yusei stated able to sense it even from here. "The two other men have a little less; fear, anger, greed, and a couple others."

One of the inmates threw a pendant up to the cliff which landed near Jayla. The two other men activated something on their duel disks which activated a taser function on the collars that the prisoners wore. The three men collapsed and Yusei glared angrily. He hated what exactly happened in Crash Town. It was wrong on all levels.

"What're you doing?!" Jayla called down.

They turned to the two. "We're simply taking these men back to the mine," one replied.

"You seem like a couple duelists. Crash Town might welcome you and you could get much work done," the second told her.

The two men then departed with the now-unconscious prisoners. Jayla picked up the man's pendant and looked at it carefully. _'I didn't come here for work,'_ she thought. _'I came here to save Kalin. I should better head to the town to get an idea of what's happening here.'_ She turned to Yusei. "Want to tell me anything about this town _now_?"

"Like I said before, Barbara will explain it to you when you meet. Trust me," he replied. "If I told you now and you acted like you knew everything, a lot of eyes would end up being pointed at you and I because you've never been here before and they don't know that I have but we know a lot about this place."

Jayla sighed knowing it was true. "Alright, if you say so," she agreed. "You are an eons old god here." Yusei nodded. "Let's get to the town." They took off again with that.

It didn't take too long before they caught sight of the town. Jayla pulled to a stop for a moment and Yusei landed. That's when three men dressed in the same outfits as the ones from earlier who attacked the prisoners approached him.

"Hey, this is our town. So pull out your deck and duel," one said.

"I only duel duelists," Jayla responded. Yusei didn't like the vibe he got from these guys.

The men surrounded the two of them and one said, "This town belongs to us. No one talks to us like that."

"Alr..." Jayla began but a whip hit the ground cutting her off.

"Did you forget? Dueling before sundown is a violation of Crash Town's rules," a woman stated. She turned to Jayla. "Hello, Jayla. I'm Barbara, the one who wrote you the letter." The Signer nodded. "Follow me and I'll explain everything."

Jayla turned and did as she was told with Yusei watching everything. It was obvious to her that he was as skeptical of Barbara as he made it sound, by the way he looked at her and how he looked at everything like waiting for an ambush. Jayla had the same feeling that this Barbara was hiding something, a secret plan that she wasn't going to tell her.

They arrived on a cliff overlooking Crash Town. Barbara looked at Yusei. "Didn't think you would try to bring any friends here," she stated.

"He didn't give me much of a choice," Jayla responded. "His name's Yusei. So what's actually going on here exactly?"

"This town's troubles starts at sunset," Barbara began. The time was soon as the sun was beginning its descent. Two groups of gangs entered the town from opposite directions. "The group with the red scarves is the Malcolm Group, let by Malcolm. The other is the Ramon Group, led by Radley."

"What's going to happen?" Jayla asked while Yusei watched carefully.

"Just watch and see," Barbara replied.

"Are you ready to be defeated Malcolm?" Radley asked.

"Try to beat my sensei of my group," Malcolm stated and a large man with a circular criminal mark. "Meet Giant."

"Who will I be teaching a lesson to?" Giant asked.

"Everyone talks big before a duel starts, not knowing that those words will be their last," Radley told him. "Now, how about my sensei. Kalin Kessler."

Kalin emerged from the distance, playing a harmonica, shocking Jayla. "Kalin!" she exclaimed shocked.

"This town's duel time is at sunset. By the time the sun finishes setting, one of the two duelists will vanish," Barbara told me.

"What do you mean by 'vanish'?" Jayla asked.

"Watch," she replied as the residents of the surrounding building began to pour out to watch the duel.

' _If when they lose they become prisoners in those mines I heard about, how could anyone watch this happily or be okay with it?'_ Jayla thought thinking on the reasoning for Barbara's term of "vanish". Yusei seemed just as tense as she was about the situation.

Jayla looked as two men dressed as undertakers came up, riding a horse-drawn carriage. Both Kalin and Giant reached for the duel disks, which resembled a Colt revolver in Yusei's opinion, as the crowd yelled, "Duel!"

Kalin activated his first. Barbara began to explain to them, "Whoever draws their duel disk and hand first will take the first turn."

Kalin drew his card. "I summon Infernity Mirage (Attack 0/ Defense 0) and set one card face down," he declared. He didn't sound confident or have any emotion other than defeat. And defeat was the only sound in his voice.

"Kalin seems different," Jayla commented.

Yusei nodded. "I know. His drive to duel doesn't seem there anymore."

"Kalin came to this town looking for a place to die," Barbara told us, and that shocked both Yusei and Jayla visibly, though Yusei seemed more knowing of those words. She pointed to the mountain. "In that mountain is a mineral called dyne. It's used in the construction of duel runners. People rushed to the town to make money from mining dyne. Malcolm and Radley were in charge of the mining operation. They eventually started to use dueling to gather more miners. If one wins duels here, they stand to make much money. But the losers are sent to the mountain. Many great duelists were tempted by the riches and ended up in the mines after losing."

"That's wrong on all levels," Yusei stated.

Jayla looked at Radley and Malcolm. _'Yusei's right. What they're doing is completely wrong. But, I wouldn't doubt they're under the influence of greed and fear into one. With all this… Fear is starting to take down this town,'_ she thought. _'I can't let that happen.'_

Barbara then said, taking Jayla out of her thoughts, "I know it does sometimes. But it's the way things are now. I don't think it'll ever change."

"Everything has the ability to change to the light. No matter how dim the chance may seem," Jayla retorted.

"How sure are you of that?" she asked him.

"One hundred percent," he answered bluntly, and Jayla nodded in agreement. She stared at Yusei for a moment before they returned to the duel.

"I summon Illegal Keeper (Attack 1300/ Defense 1300) in attack mode," Malcolm's Giant declared. "I activate Card Destruction!"

"I activate my face down, Full Salvo! This sends my hand to the graveyard and inflicts 200 points of damage to you for each card sent," Kalin defended and Giant's life points dropped to 3200.

"Kalin's ultimate strength is when he has no hand," Yusei stated. "That Giant should be ready for anything." Jayla nodded.

"I activate the effect of Infernity Mirage! By tributing it, I can special summon two Infernity monsters from my graveyard," Kalin fought. "So I summon Infernity Archfiend (Attack 1800/ Defense 1200) and Infernity Destroyer (Attack 2300/ Defense 1000) in attack mode."

"I end my turn," Giant finished.

Kalin drew his card. "I activate Infernity Burst! This inflicts 800 points of damage at you for each Infernity monster I control," he declared and Sensei's life points dropped to 1600. "Infernity Destroyer, attack Illegal Keeper!" The attack destroyed his opponent's monster and dropped the other to 600 life points. "And now since Infernity Destroyer destroyed you monster and sent it to the graveyard while I have no cards in my hand, I can activate its effect to send 1600 points of damage at you." The attack hit and won Kalin the duel.

Yusei watched as Giant tried to run, but the undertakers lassoed Kalin's fleeing opponent. He had to force himself to not budge and try to help the man. As much as he wanted to, he knew it wouldn't be a good idea yet. _'We'll save all the miners,'_ he thought as they stuff the large man into a casket in the back of the wagon and took him to the mountains.

Jayla then realized something, "Those three prisoners I saw earlier were running from the mines."

"Kalin is trying to kill himself using this town," Barbara stated.

"Then why doesn't Kalin just lose on purpose?" Jayla asked.

"I don't know the answer for that," she replied.

"That's Kalin's fiftieth win in a row," Radley stated.

"You'll both be going to the mountains next time," Malcolm told Radley. Both groups left.

Jayla and Yusei separated from Barbara for the moment walked into town as Kalin began his trek away, not noticing they were there. "Yusei, I have a favor to ask you," the Signer called to the god in a soft whisper so no one could hear. He looked at her. "While I duel Kalin, get all the miners out of those mines for me. Get them out of there." Yusei nodded and they turned to Kalin. "Kalin," she called and he stopped. He looked at them over his shoulder.

"You don't need to punish yourself for anything," Yusei told him.

"Yes, I do," he responded and walked off again leaving Jayla to sigh.

Barbara walked up. "Why don't you try to talk to him through a duel?" she suggested. "But you'll have to join Malcolm's group to do so."

Jayla looked down to think about my options. She then looked up at the other woman. "Alright, fine," she agreed. "Where can I find Malcolm?"

"He's at his villa," she responded. "I'll show you."

Jayla walked into a courtyard and heard Malcolm say angrily, "If Lawton was still here, Kalin would be nothing and defeated with one attack."

She entered the courtyard with a poncho Barbara had given her and said, "I'm here looking for some work."

The three thugs that confronted her in town earlier approached me while Malcolm stated, "I'll hire ya. But only if you prove yourself by defeating these three."

The four quickly drew, Jayla with a revolver Barbara had lent her, and drew the cards. Jayla was thankfully successful in going first. "I'll go first," I stated. "I normal summon Changer Synchron (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in defense mode. I set a face down and end my turn."

The first thug then played, "I summon Fuse Ray Blaster (Attack 1600/ Defense 800) in attack mode. I can't attack since it's a battle royal, so I'll end my turn there."

The second thug draw and declared, "I summon another Fuse Ray Blaster."

"And that activates the effect of my Fuse Ray," the first called. "This inflicts 800 to you." Her life points fell to 3200.

"I end my turn with that," the second thug finished.

"I summon another Fuse Ray Blaster," called the third. "That activates the effects of the other two, decreasing your life points another 1600." Jayla's life points reduced to 1600. "There are more than enough bullets remaining." They each showed their hands to show they each contained two more Fuse Ray Blasters. "Give up."

Jayla wasn't moved by the three and drew her card. "I send Quillbolt Hedgehog from my hand to the graveyard to special summon Quickdraw Synchron (Attack 700/ Defense 1400) from my hand. And since I control a tuner monster, I can special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog (Attack 800/ Defense 800) straight from my graveyard," she declared. "Now I tuny my level two Quillbolt with my level five Quickdraw Synchron to synchro summon. Rise, Nitro Warrior (Attack 2800/ Defense 1800)! Next I summon level three Gauntlet Warrior (Attack 400/ Defense 1600) and then tune it with level one Changer Synchron to synchro summon level four Armory Arm (Attack 1800/ Defense 1200). And since Changer Synchron was sent to the graveyard, its effect activates, switching one of your Fuse Ray Blasters to defense position." The third thug's monster was switched. "Next I use the effect of Armory Arm, equipping it to Nitro Warrior and increasing its attack by 1000 (Nitro Warrior: Attack 3800). And then I equip Nitro Warrior with Junk Barrage. And since a spell card was activated this turn, the attack of Nitro Warrior increases another 1000 (Nitro Warrior: Attack 4800). Nitro Warrior, attack his Fuse Ray Blaster!" The second thug's monster was destroyed and he was defeated. "Now the effect of Nitro Warrior activates, switching the defense Fuse Ray Blaster to attack and allowing my warrior to attack again." The attack was made and the third thug fell. "And now I activate my face down, Synchro Overlimit, allowing a synchro monster that destroyed a monster by battle this turn, like my Nitro Warrior, to attack again. So, Nitro Warrior, attack one last time and end this!" The first thug's monster was destroyed, as was his life points.

Malcolm walked up. "Can I hire you to defeat Kalin?" he asked her. "The cost will be high."

"I was hoping you would ask me," Jayla agreed.


	21. Truth

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 21: Truth

It was sundown and Kalin and Jayla were called to face each other. "Kalin, you don't need to punish yourself like this," she told him.

"I have forgotten what it means to be satisfied," he responded. They quickly drew and Kalin got to go first. "I summon Infernity Randomizer (Attack 900/ Defense 0) in attack mode. I then end my turn with one face down."

Jayla drew her card, watching Kalin carefully. "I summon Speed Warrior (Attack 900/ Defense 400) in attack mode. Next I activate Fighting Spirit and equip it to Speed Warrior, increasing its attack by 300 for every monster you control (Speed Warrior: Attack 1200). And now that I am entering my battle phase the turn it was summoned, Speed Warrior's attack increases by its original attack until the end of the battle phase (Speed Warrior: Attack 2100). Speed Warrior, attack Infernity Randomizer!" she ordered. The attack destroyed Kalin's monster and his life points fell to 2800.

"Since an Infernity monster was destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can activate Infernity Reflector! This revives Infernity Randomizer and deals you 1000 points of damage by discarding my entire hand," Kalin fought. His monster was revived while her life points fell to 3000.

' _Kalin's hand is empty now. This just got a lot harder,'_ Jayla thought. She then finished with, "I set a face down and end my turn."

Kalin drew a card and immediately set it. "Now I activate the effect of Infernity Randomizer to draw a card and send it to the graveyard. If the card I drew and sent away was a monster, you will take damage equal to its level times 200. If it's a spell or trap, I take 500 points of damage," he declared. He pulled the card and it ended up being the level six Infernity Destroyer dropping her life points to 1800.

Jayla drew her next card. "I summon Max Warrior (Attack 1800/ Defense 800) in attack position. Max Warrior, attack Infernity Randomizer! And due to its effect, Max Warrior gains another 400 attack points during the damage step only (Max Warrior: Attack 2200)," she fought. Her warrior destroyed Infernity Randomizer and dropped Kalin to 1500 life points. But since it destroyed a monster by battle, its attack fell to 900, defense fell to 400, and level fell to 2.

"Since I took battle damage, I activate my face down called Damage Gate which allows me to special summon Infernity Beetle (Attack 1200/ Defense 0) in attack mode since it has equal or less attack points than the damage I took," Kalin continued.

"Speed Warrior, attack Infernity Beetle! And thanks to the second effect of Fighting Spirit, by destroying it, I can prevent Speed Warrior's destruction," Jayla declared and the result was only Infernity Beetle getting destroyed.

Kalin drew his card. "I activate ZERO-MAX! This revives Infernity Destroyer (Attack 2300/ Defense 1000) in attack position and destroys your monsters since they have less attack than my Destroyer, but I can't conduct my battle phase this turn," he declared. "That ends my turn."

Jayla drew her card to take her turn, "I summon Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500) in attack mode. And with its effect, I can summon back Speed Warrior (Attack 900/ Defense 400) in defense mode with its effects negated. Now since I control a tuner monster, I can summon Boost Warrior (Attack 300/ Defense 200) from my hand in defense position. Now I tune Speed Warrior with Junk Synchron to synchro summon. Fight, Junk Warrior (Attack 2300/ Defense 1300)!" Her monster rose beside her with its signature punch. "And due to its effect, its attack increases by the attack of all level two or lower monsters that I control (Junk Warrior: Attack 2600). And now the effect of Boost Warrior kicks in, increasing all other Warrior-type monsters' attacks by 300 (Junk Warrior: Attack 2900). Now, Junk Warrior, attack Infernity Destroyer!" Kalin's monster was destroyed and his life points fell to 900.

"I activate the effect of Infernity Avenger (Attack 0/ Defense 0)! Since I have no cards in my hand and an Infernity monster was destroyed, I can special summon it from the graveyard in defense mode and make its level the same as Infernity Destroyer (Infernity Avenger: Level 6)," Kalin defended.

"I end my turn," Jayla finished.

Kalin drew his card. "I summon Infernity Dwarf (Attack 800/ Defense 500) in attack mode. Now I tune Infernity Dwarf with Infernity Avenger to synchro summon. Bring your might, Infernity Doom Dragon (Attack 3000/ Defense 2400)!" he called. "Now I activate the effect of Infernity Doom Dragon. This destroys your Junk Warrior and inflicts half of its attack as damage to you, however my dragon can't attack this turn." Her life points dropped to 350. "I end my turn there."

Jayla drew. "I destroy my set Limiter Break in order to special summon Card Breaker (Attack 100/ Defense 900) in attack mode. And since Limiter Break was sent to the graveyard, its effect activates, allowing me to special summon Speed Warrior from my hand in attack mode. Now I tribute Speed Warrior to special summon Turret Warrior (Attack 1200/ Defense 2000) in attack mode. And due to the effect of Turret Warrior, its attack is increased by the original attack of Speed Warrior (Turret Warrior: Attack 2100). Now I tune Card Breaker and Turret Warrior with Boost Warrior in order to synchro summon. Take flight, Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)! I then end my turn with one face down."

"I'm up then," Kalin stated drawing his card. "I set a card. Infernity Doom Dragon, attack Stardust Dragon!"

"I activate Power Frame to negate the attack and equip it to Stardust Dragon, increasing my dragon's attack by the different between it and your dragon's attack (Stardust Dragon: Attack 3000)," she defended.

"I end my turn," Kalin finished.

Jayla drew her card. "Kalin, why are you doing this?" she asked him.

"When I let myself go off the deep end, I didn't care who I hurt or what I did. I became dark and cruel. I need to pay for those mistakes," he answered.

"No, Kalin. You already took back those mistakes. No one hates you or blames you for what you did," she retorted. "You don't need to punish yourself like this. You have light in you. You're not who you were back then anymore. You've made those mistakes twice and each time you've returned to the light. You don't need to punish yourself."

"I…" Kalin stopped. "What do you mean I've changed to the dark twice?"

"This isn't the first timeline this world has been in," Jayla began and they all looked at her shocked. "Last timeline, you didn't even know me. You knew a man named Yusei Fudo. He was the one who was an Enforcer with you, I wasn't. He was the one who originally fought you as a Signer last timeline before he returned to the Divine Realm. Before he returned to being a god." Kalin went wide eyed. "According to what he's told all of us, even after what happened with him back then, he still forgave you and saw light in you, like I do. And if a god can forgive you like that and see light in you even after what you've done, you'll have light in you now that you just need to see. Kalin, what happened back then wasn't your fault. The Earthbound Immortals twisted your hurt thoughts and convinced you of something was right that inside you didn't want to do. But maybe words are not right for this situation. See my words through this duel. Stardust Dragon, attack Infernity Doom Dragon!" Jayla ordered.

"I activate Infernity Break! This removes from play Infernity Dwarf from my graveyard and destroyed your Power Frame (Stardust Dragon: Attack 2500)," Kalin defended.

"I tribute Second Booster in order to increase the attack of Stardust Dragon by 1500 (Stardust Dragon: Attack 4000)," Jayla fought. Stardust destroyed her opponent's dragon and his life points. "Kalin, you don't need to punish yourself for back then. You aren't that person anymore, so don't act like you are. If you ever see Yusei again, he'll tell you the same thing."

"Jayla…" Kalin muttered.

Suddenly, though, a man on a large duel runner launched into the area and a man jumped off it. He glanced at the sun while Radley exclaimed, "Lawton!"

"Well, seems like it isn't too late for me to duel," the man, Lawton, stated.

' _And it'll be the last duel to send someone to the mines ever,'_ Jayla thought.

"I'll wipe that smirk off your face, Lawton," Radley stated while they each quickly drew.

Lawton got the first turn and drew his card. "I summon Gatling Ogre (Attack 800/ Defense 800) in attack mode and set five face downs. Next I activate my Ogre's effect. By sending all five of my set spell and trap cards to the graveyard, I can inflict 800 points of damage at you for every spell and trap sent away," he declared and in that one move, Radley was defeated.

There was the sound of a shot and before she could even flinch, a wind barrier flew up in front of Jayla like a protective wall. They all went wide eyed, including Martha.

"You really thought you could backstab me or Yusei, Barbara?" Jayla asked as the barrier was brought down and she glared. "Yusei warned me that you were going to do this at some point and I was waiting for it to happen. So, try again, I dare you. He's probably waiting for you to make a another move right now. And FYI, the Yusei you met is the very god I was talking about." She didn't move.

"What are you…?" Malcolm stopped unable to continue with his shock. Suddenly, they heard a hoard of voices coming our way and turned to see the miners walking in without their collars. "What?! How did…?!"

"Yusei and I planned this," Jayla told them. They looked as the ball of torrential air came down and gently landing beside her. Once it hit, the wind dispersed hard to leave Yusei in its place.

"I knew you were going to backstab Jayla, but we also wanted to free the miners out of being slaves and wanted to help Kalin. So she dealt with Kalin and you guys while I went and freed the miners with my powers as the God of Wind."

"I…" Lawton stopped.

"God of Wind?" Barbara repeated.

Yusei turned to Kalin. "Jayla's right, Kalin. No matter what timeline it happened in, you gave up the darkness in the very end and returned to the light. You have always had light in you, Kalin. You are better than you let yourself believe. Do you see that now?" He slowly nodded. "Then use that knowledge to help this town get better."

The girl and boy hurried up to their father who asked Kalin for his help to create a better town. Kalin agreed in an instant.

"You…" Lawton growled.

"God my ass!" Malcolm exclaimed. "There's no such thing as gods!"

Yusei used the wind and picked Malcolm up high into the air. If he fell, he would be seriously injured. "Actually, there is. Over eight hundred, in fact," he responded blandly. "Mortals have just forgotten that deities are out there, watching them and protecting them. Without one god, the universe will fall apart. In fact, I was part of the eldest deities that helped create the universe."

"You're kidding," Barbara responded a bit shocked.

"Not in the least. After the universe was created, Izanagi, the other deities, and I worked to create planet after planet, life form after life form, keeping each in perfect balance. Earth was our most recent and most likely our final for the time being," Yusei explained. "Deities are out there." He set Malcolm down with him low enough that he would just get a bad bruise as he landed on the ground with a thud. "We protect every mortal that we create and we help keep the universe in balance. It's one of the reasons I went to save the miners without question. Because you were hurting them without mercy due to fear and greed inside you. But even a town like this has a chance to change to the light. All you have to do is instead of forcing someone into the mines and treating them horribly, you could do something to make a better town while still gathering the dyne for everyone to share. Life isn't about making money or dueling alone. It's about making bonds and cherishing those you have until you can't breathe anymore. If you do that, you'll find life in this town will be a lot better."

"Why should we listen to you?" Lawton asked. "You're just a kid from what I can tell."

"I'm older than the very universe," Yusei retorted. "I have more wisdom and knowledge than you'll ever hope to gain. I've lived through multiple timeline changes and lived a life that humans live last timeline while taking part of one this timeline." He looked at the others around them. "Now, do you all want to listen to the greed of these three or do you want to build a better town? One without fear of being trapped to work in the mines forever, one where people can be a lot happier and duel for fun instead of the fate of their life." All of the gang members took off their signature items and the miners nodded in agreement, save Radley, Malcolm, Barbara, and Lawton who were seething in anger. Yusei looked at Jayla. "Let's get back home." She nodded. He looked at Kalin. "Kalin, help this town for me. I'll be watching and making sure things go okay. Let me know if these four try to pull anything." He nodded. Yusei then took off into the air while Jayla got onto her runner and followed Yusei to their hideout.

As they travelled, Yusei sensed something and immediately darted faster through the air.


	22. Trade

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 22: Trade

Jayla arrived at the garage, expecting to find Yusei there but all she found was Jack and Crow.

"Jayla! Where have you been?!" Crow exclaimed. "We've been looking all over for you."

"Long story," she replied. "Did Yusei come here at all? He was with me when he suddenly darted away."

"No, we haven't seen him," Jack answered. "Think something's up?"

"I'm not sure," she answered. Suddenly, Leo burst in through the door panting. "What's wrong, Leo?"

"Luna… She's…" he could finish he was so out of breath.

"Deep breaths, Leo. What's going on with Luna?" Crow called.

Leo quickly caught his breath. "We were walking home from Duel Academy when she suddenly disappeared. I can't find her anywhere and Bob mentioned seeing Luna being pulled by someone they didn't recognize."

"Did they say what this person looked like?" Jayla asked worriedly.

"All they could really describe them with was an eye covered by a metal thing," he replied and they went wide eyed. "If I had to guess, it was either that Primo guy or Lester."

"And Yusei probably sensed Luna's worry and went to find her," Jack realized. "We need to find those two before they get into any bigger trouble."

"If they already aren't, at least," Crow responded. "But the only way we found Yusei last time was through Luna's bracelet. And now we don't have that and we can't find Luna that easily."

"We need to at least search," Jayla stated. "I'm not letting the universe get destroyed because of these three men's ambitions."

. . .

Yusei arrived in a building similar to the one that the men had tried to nab him at last time. He walked through the building, trying to locate his envoy whose fear he could feel. He came up on a room where her energy was the strongest and opened the door to a pitch black room.

The lights turned on to show Primo standing in the center facing Yusei with Luna bound, gagged, and locked in his grip. The god glared angrily and took a step towards Primo.

"I wouldn't move too much, Futen," Primo warned and brought a sword to Luna's neck making Yusei freeze.

"What do you want, Primo?" Yusei asked.

"For you to show your Deity's Seal and give us almost all of your power, including that of your Archaic Energy," Primo answered.

"Primo, Archaic Energy is too powerful for a mortal to possess. Other mortals have tried and either died, killed those they care about, or destroy the world they've known by being unable to control it and revert the world back into its state just after the other deities and I brought life to it," Yusei responded. "Even you and your friends can't control the amount of energy as the combination of both a deity's natural power and Archaic Energy. Especially since Archaic Energy alone is hard enough to control even for me."

"You expect me to believe that?" Primo asked.

"If you don't and take that energy, you'll be doing the very opposite of what you want to do," Yusei replied. "Do you want to risk that?" Suddenly, hands grabbed Yusei's arms and locked his wrists together while placing another bind around his torso. Yusei looked back to see Jakob and Lester there, Jakob holding him still with a glare. "You are." He looked at Primo. "Considering I'm now as powerless as a mortal and I have no true way of getting out of these binds, let alone Jakob's hold, let Luna go. She's done nothing to you and I'm the one you want. So let her go!"

"Primo, knock her out and drop her off back at her home," Jakob ordered. "We have who we need, after all." The other man nodded and knocked Luna out by pushing a couple pressure points before flinging her over his shoulder and leaving the room. "And you'd better hope you show your Deity's Seal," Jakob told Yusei sternly. "Because if not, bad things _will_ happen to your envoy." Yusei went wide eyed in worry. "So thank you for willing to trade your life for hers. I'm sure we'll get more promising results this time." He then yanked Yusei out of the room and Yusei was trying to prepare himself for the nightmare to begin again.

. . .

 _Luna leaned against their balcony's railing while Yusei sat on it. "Yusei, how will I know if your Deity's Seal shows itself?" she asked him._

 _"The seal on your bracelet will glow bright," he answered._

 _"And what happens if your seal is taken?" Luna asked._

 _. . . ._

 _A struggling Yusei was pulled by Primo, Lester, and Jakob and locked in cuffs similar to the first time he was taken. Only these were much stronger._

 _. . . ._

 _"That shouldn't happen," Yusei replied._

 _"And if it does?" Luna pressed._

 _. . . ._

 _"Primo, begin the procedure again," Jakob ordered. He looked at Yusei who was glaring at them. "If you don't show your seal when it wants to be shown, the next one to suffer this pain will be your envoy."_

 _Yusei lowered his head in defeat. "We'll see what happens," he told him. "And even if you take all of the energy that you want at this time, you won't be able to contain anymore without ruining this planet."_

 _"We'll see about that," Primo answered before activating the electrocuting button with it at mid-strength._

 _. . . ._

 _Yusei stayed silent and Luna grew worried. "Yusei, I need to know," she pushed._

 _"If my Deity's Seal is taken, your bracelet seal's power will be stripped and it will become powerless until my Seal is returned to me," he explained._

 _"Meaning?" Luna questioned._

 _"Meaning if my Seal is taken before you found my location, you won't be able to locate me with your bracelet," he explained. "And I won't be able to contact you telepathically to tell you anything. Our connection is transferred between each Seal. If my Seal is out of me, that connection is separated."_

 _"Can you take your Seal back if you get free?" Luna asked._

 _"Luna, my power is created by my Seal. That's why you saw it at my heart," Yusei answered. "If someone takes my Seal, I won't be able to free myself." That worried her. "Though there will still be a slight connection, it is so small that there is no way for me to tap into my power if my Seal is taken from me. Every bit of me will be made mortal until my Seal is returned. It won't be like the last timeline where if I return to being a god, we'll need to reset everything again. But I will become practically mortal. That's why, Luna, if I'm ever taken again, you need to find me and fast but stay away from those men."_

 _"I promise, Yusei," she responded. "I won't let anyone take your Deity's Seal if I can stop it."_

 _"I know you won't," he responded, ruffling her hair slightly. "That's why I chose you as my envoy." He then took to the air with that._

 _. . . ._

 _"I'm sorry, Luna…" Yusei's voice muttered in a dark void. "I'll hold on as long as possible. Just… stay safe."_


	23. The Deity's Seal- Part 1

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 23: The Deity's Seal- Part 1

Luna's eyes snapped open and she looked around to see herself in her apartment living room. She heard the elevator door open as she felt a stinging pain in her neck.

"Luna!" called Leo's voice. Suddenly, the boy landed on top of her. "What happened to you?" She noticed Jayla and the two other, male Signers walk up.

"No kidding," Jack agreed. "We've been looking for you and Yusei for hours."

"I'm not really sure. I remember this guy grabbing me before I blacked out. When I woke up last, I was bound and gagged and this Primo guy was holding me. Then…" she paused in realization.

"Then what, Luna?" Crow pressed.

"We need to find Yusei!" she exclaimed.

"Do you know where he is?" Jayla asked.

"The last I saw of him was those men locking him in a couple, weird looking metal binds and he mentioned them taking away his abilities as a god," she replied. "He called for me to be let go and after that I can't remember anything but the dream I had and waking up here."

"What dream?" Crow asked.

Luna explained it all, including how it was switching to Yusei being locked and tortured to the memory of when she spoke to him about his Deity's Seal. And the ending that worried her the worst.

"We need to find him," Jayla immediately proclaimed once the young Signer finished her tale.

"Luna, activate your bracelets ability to track him again.

"R-Right," she agreed and focused. That's when the seal on her bracelet began to glow bright taking her attention to it. "His Seal's showing itself!"

. . .

Yusei groaned in pain as the three men watched him being electrocuted. Primo turned the dial to volts even higher than their last highest and it was becoming excruciating for Yusei. Every part of him was sore and aching.

Yusei tried yanking at his bonds, wanting more than anything to get free and out of there. But these cuffs were stronger than his last, and even his Archaic Energy wouldn't be able to break them at the moment.

He fought every urge to show his Deity's Seal, but the fear of what would happen to Luna clung to his mind. He wasn't just afraid of her getting her because she was his envoy; he was afraid of her getting hurt because she was one of his friends. He didn't want these men to gather the energy from his Deity's Seal, but he also didn't want Luna getting hurt like this

That's when he noticed a faint glow over his heart and immediately turned to keeping his Seal out of reach.

"Come on, Yusei," Jakob called. "You know at this point you showing your Seal is inevitable."

"He's right, so go ahead and let it free and show itself," Lester added, laughing sinisterly.

"Or would you like your envoy to be taken her and also chained up? End up in your position?" Primo asked.

Yusei froze for a moment in worry, still fighting his Seal. "Don't… hurt her," he choked out in a strained voice.

"Then give us your Deity's Seal," Jakob demanded.

Yusei didn't know what to do. He couldn't let these men have his Deity's Seal, but he couldn't let any of his friends get hurt due to his reluctance. _'Forgive me…'_ he thought, unable to bear the pain and worry any longer and let his Seal fully show itself.

"There it is," Jakob commented. He walked up and touched swirl symbol as his Seal. The Seal glowed before following Jack's hand away from Yusei before it placed itself floating in his hand. Yusei was struggling to stay awake from the pain and the loss of energy from losing his Seal. "So much power is held in such a small thing."

"Place it in the syphon machine so we can take its energy," Lester ordered excitedly.

"But let's not take every drop of it. I don't think a god would lie about the universe collapsing if he died," Primo suggested. "Besides, it will regenerate meaning we can syphon more energy than if we just took all of it in one syphon."

"Agreed, Primo," Jakob agreed.

Jakob set the seal in a small tube and it floated there. He pressed a few buttons before a light blue, nearly white energy floated out of the symbol slowly, through a syphon tube, and into a generator, energy holding container thing. Primo turned off the electricity and Yusei fell limp, the only things holding him off the ground were the cuffs.

"You're… making a big mistake," Yusei weakly told them.

"I disagree," Primo retorted.

"This is the beginning of a new age," Jakob told him before Yusei blacked out.


	24. The Deity's Seal- Part 2

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 24: The Deity's Seal- Part 2

Luna was behind Jayla on her duel runner while Leo was behind Crow and Jack was by himself. Bruno and Akiza were informed of the situation quickly and didn't hesitate to demand to help.

Luna was using her bracelet which was still glowing from Yusei's Seal being revealed to create the line leading to Yusei's location.

"Think we're close yet, Luna?" Akiza asked.

"I'm… not sure," she answered nervously. "I feel like his presence is getting closer, but it's also getting weaker."

"We'll find him, Luna," Jayla assured. "Don't worry."

That when they noticed the line slowly disappearing along with the bracelet's glow. "What's going on, Luna?" Leo asked worriedly.

"I…" she paused for a moment before the glow faded completely leaving the bracelet a dull color. She went wide eyed and exclaimed, "Yusei's Seal has been taken!"

"It's what?!" Akiza responded worried.

"You've got to be joking," Crow retorted also worried. "If it's taken…"

"We need to find a way to get to him. Fast," Jayla stated as they pulled to a stop.

"But how? We don't have a clue as to where he is," Bruno responded.

"I might be able to help," came a familiar, deep voice. They turned as Izanagi came down from the clouds.

"Izanagi," Leo greeted shocked.

"Hello, Leo," the god greeted back.

"How can you help? If whatever Yusei's locked in is blocking his powers and your ability to see him, how can you locate him?" Jayla asked.

"I can locate a god or goddess by their deity energy signature that is made within their Seal," Izanagi began. "When Futen's Seal was removed from him, I was able to get his location. Or at least, the location of his captors."

"And where his captors are, Yusei isn't far away," Crow realized. "Where is his Seal?" Izanagi was silent for a moment.

"Considering we're heading towards Satellite, it's somewhere there, but where?" Jack asked.

"Beneath your old Enforcers hideout," Izanagi answered.

"Beneath?" Jayla questioned. "There isn't a way to get beneath the hideout. The entrance to the basement in blocked."

Izanagi sighed. "I can show you the way in, but I cannot join you," he told them. "If I were caught with Futen, things could end a lot worse than they already might."

"Show us, please," Akiza requested.

"Follow me," Izanagi ordered before getting back into the air and darting towards the old hideout. It didn't take them too long to arrive and they got off their runners. Izanagi guided them to the back of the building which seemed quite blank for the most part. But when he pressed a rock on the ground with his foot, a passage opened up leading down below the ground. "Follow this down to its base and walk down the hall to the final room it leads to. After that, enter with caution and get his Seal back to Futen. Before it's too late." He then flew off back to the Divine Realm.

"Let's go," Jayla stated before they headed down.

When they reached the bottom of the steps, they found themselves in a long, dimly lit corridor with doors here and there. But after Izanagi's words, they knew to wait until they reached the last door in the hall.

"This place gives me the creeps," Bruno commented quietly.

"I know what you mean," Akiza agreed.

When the last door was in sight, they noticed it was open slightly. Relieving and worrying them, though, they couldn't hear any electricity or their godly friend groaning in pain.

"I have never seen so much power," came Jakob's voice.

"It's amazing how much power one god can hold," Primo's voice followed. "Really think we'll be able to contain all this power, Jakob?"

"Oh, stop worrying, Primo," Lester retorted. "When the Circuit absorbs all this, we won't have to worry about it anyways."

"But what about the possibility of reverting the Earth back to its primal state if we do not control it well enough?" he retorted.

"I understand your concern, Primo," Jakob responded. "But would you really want to let all this bountiful power go to waste on a being like him?"

"You know my answer to that, Jakob," Primo replied.

"They're taking his energy? Are they insane?" Crow asked in a near silent whisper.

"Apparently," Jack replied.

"How are we going to get his Seal to him?" Akiza asked.

Jayla looked at Akiza. "Akiza, when we get into the room, I need you to summon Black Rose Dragon and yank them away and into the air. We can then get Yusei and his Seal," she told her psychic friend who nodded. Jayla turned to Luna next. "Luna, considering you're connected to Yusei in ways we aren't, you'll need to grab the Seal. It might be a lot easier for you to contain or hold all of his power considering you have his Seal connected to you on your wrist."

"Right," she agreed.

They silently made their way towards the door again. When they reached the door, they waited for a moment. But before anyone could protest, Jack kicked the door open and walked in. The others followed, knowing there was no point in hiding after that.

"Welcome, Signers," Primo greeted.

Luna noticed Yusei's Seal in the glass tube, its energy being pulled through anything thinner tube, with Yusei locked again and passed out, cringing a bit as well. _'He can feel the pain of losing his energy and Seal even with him asleep and his Seal taken…'_ she thought worriedly.

"What do you think you're doing?" Crow asked.

"We are syphoning a god's energy," Lester answered with a devious smirk.

"You can't do this," Leo retorted.

"There's a reason why deities control that energy and mortals don't," Jayla retorted. "Mortals don't have the ability to control the energy themselves. You can't take all that energy and expect to control it. Don't you see that?"

"We are not the ones absorbing and controlling the energy. We are simply syphoning it and giving it to the Circuit," Jakob explained.

"The Circuit?" Jayla questioned.

"It is something you Signers cannot hope to comprehend," Primo answered. "But you'll find out everything when it all comes into place."

Before any of them could react, Black Rose Dragon appeared behind the three men and wrapped its vines around them, lifting them high into the air with their arms bounds to their sides.

"Luna, get the Seal," Jayla ordered. "We'll worry about getting those cuffs off Yusei."

Luna was about to run over when Jakob called, "Don't think you'll be able to get the cuffs off with any other remote. The key to the cuffs isn't here. But the key to the electricity…" He reached over to his wrist where there were a few buttons of a cuff.

"Don't!" Luna called, but he didn't listen and pressed a series of the buttons.

Electricity immediately pulsed through the cuffs and to Yusei again, shocking him. The god groaned in pain, obviously awakened by the electricity, and tried to yank at the cuffs again. The others, though, could tell he was barely strong enough to move, let alone break the cuffs.

"Luna, get that Seal," Jayla ordered again.

The girl nodded and ran to the containment that surrounded the Seal. "There's too many buttons here," she told them. "I don't know which one to press. I don't want to make the situation worse."

"Bruno, go to that panel and find a way to hack into it," Crow suggested. "If you can figure it out, you can probably unlock the tube." Bruno ran over and immediately began his work.

"Akiza, think you can use one of your monsters to break the cuffs?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, probably," she answered. "Let's try you, Violet Witch!"

Her plant witch appeared in front of Yusei and immediately brought her staff forward with a glow surrounding the cuffs. After a couple stressful minutes, the cuffs snapped open and Jack and Crow caught the god as he fell to the ground, barely awake. Akiza immediately called her witch back and they turned to Bruno who was seeming to be making some progress.

"Jack, Crow, get Yusei out of here," Jayla ordered. "We'll meet up with you as soon as we get this Seal." They nodded and carefully ran out.

The oldest female Signer ran up to Bruno and looked at what he was doing. He was trying to work through some complex codes that seemed to be a password in order to gain access. "I've tried at least fifty different possibilities," he told her.

Luna was looking at the codes carefully. "Have you tried Bishamon?" she asked.

"Bishamon?" he questioned. "Why would you suggest that?"

"I don't know how I know this, but he's the god of war, justice, and protector of the law. These men wouldn't want to change the world like this if they didn't expect something in the future. It… just made sense to me for some reason," she explained.

"Try it, Bruno," Jayla told him sternly.

"O-Okay," he agreed and typed it in. There was a green screen for a moment before the access space opened which would Luna to get the Seal.

Luna carefully reached in and touched the Seal. It followed her hand out before resting in the palm of her hand. "There's so much power in this thing still," she commented. "Even with all that energy they probably took, I feel a _ton_ much power in this thing."

"Let's get out of here and get it to Yusei," Jayla suggested.

"Right," she agreed.

Jayla turned to Akiza. "Akiza, keep them up there until we're a good distance away," she told the other Signer. "We'll need as much space between them and us as possible."

"Understood," she agreed before they all ran out, Luna keeping the Seal close to her.

When they were out of the underground bunker, they found Jack and Crow waiting with an unconscious Yusei laying on Crow's runner. "Let's get to the garage first," Crow suggested. "It'll be safer there." They all nodded and took off with Luna behind Jayla and Leo behind Bruno.

They were quick to arrive back at the garage. The two men carefully set the god on the couch. It was a bit worrying because Futen seemed too weak to even wake up at this point; it was hard to tell if he was even breathing. Luna walked closer and gently placed the Seal over his heart. It hovered for a second before sinking into the god. He gave a slight glow for a second, but he still refused to wake up; though, his breathing did become more apparent relieving them a bit. They looked at noticed Luna's bracelet seemed to regain some of its color and brightness that it had lost when Yusei's Seal was taken from him.

"Now we just wait for him to wake up," Jack stated.

"And what if he doesn't?" Leo muttered a bit fearfully.

"He will, Leo. Even in an unconscious state, Yusei knows he has a job to do and that he can't sleep for too long. Not only does he have to help us with this darkness, but he has his job with the entire universe that he has to deal with," Crow assured. "He wouldn't give up on those jobs for any reason."

"Right," Luna agreed.

"And if Luna believes he'll wake up, he will. Luna is connected to Yusei in ways we'll never be, so she'll know when he wakes up," Jayla added. "For now, let's let him rest and do what we need until he wakes up." They all nodded. Leo and Luna stayed around for Yusei while Akiza had to go get some homework done for school tomorrow.

It took about four hours of waiting before Luna's head snapped to Yusei, letting the others know he was waking up at least a bit. They turned to him as his eyes flickered open weakly. He looked at all of them, hiding his confusion and shock.

"Are you okay, Yusei?" Jayla asked.

"I think," he answered.

He tried to sit up while cringing, slightly as his body ached; but Crow came over and immediately held him down, saying, "Yusei, you were electrocuted who knows how long and how much _and_ had your Seal taken out of you with its energy being drained for nearly all that time. You shouldn't be moving at all until you're in better condition."

"I'm…" Luna cut the god off.

"Yusei, listen to Crow," she told him. "I only just got your Seal back to you about four hours ago. I know that seems a while, but it really isn't when you think of all that energy you need to regenerate."

Yusei sighed in defeat, but nodded. He knew she was right. He still felt quite weak and his body was in pain everywhere from the electrocutions which was only made worse by moving too much.

"Just rest, Yusei," Jayla told him. "You need it more than anyone in this universe."

"Al-Alright," he gave in.

With them managing to get Yusei to stay down for a bit, they talked to him about certain things, trying to keep the topic away from the men who took him. Right now, they knew it wasn't the best time to mention the three.

After a while, it was getting to near nine at night meaning Leo and Luna had to head to the Tops for the night. They had school tomorrow, so they needed the sleep. Jayla and the guys decided to have Yusei stay with them until he was back in working order, despite Yusei's small protests.

Besides, the tournament was going to begin within the next two weeks with practice runs going on three days before then. So they all need to be in top shape and have all of them safe. As long as that happened, Jayla felt that they could do this… with Yusei.


	25. Behind the Card

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 25: Behind the Card

It had been a week since the last incident with Jakob, Primo, and Lester. Now, Yusei, Bruno, and Jayla were at the Sector Security Headquarters with Trudge and Mina. They were talking about the men from before and what exactly happened.

"If they were willing to go so far as to take a god's power, this can't be good," Trudge commented.

"No, it can't. if I could tell right, the tournament is a part of this plan they have along with the darkness that is around New Domino lately," Yusei added.

"Is it around any other places?" Mina asked.

"Every city or town has its own darkness around it. It's a natural fate of life. But most of those darkness aren't strong enough to affect the everyday lives of mortals. It's why gods don't mess with them. Especially that there is always going to have to be a balance in life," Yusei responded.

"What balance is needed?" Trudge asked.

"A balance in everything around you. Dream, nightmare; rich, poor; Signers, Dark Signers; water, fire; Heavens, Underworld; Sun, Moon; light, darkness," he replied. "No matter what type of thing you can think of, it cannot be there without its opposite. In other words, there cannot be light in the universe without there being darkness. But most of the time darkness stays quiet and keeps the balance. But the darkness here isn't staying quiet like it should. It is trying to overpower the light, just as the Dark Signers did. It is growing fast and it is growing powerful. If something isn't done soon to weaken and destroy this darkness, there won't be a world left to save."

"Has there been other worlds with situations like this?" Mina asked.

"There have. Plenty of them, in fact," Yusei answered. "Most are saved by their chosen, but some have been destroyed. Those who were not going to make it easily, the gods tried to help. But by the time we realized the darkness was too powerful for the mortals, it was too late. So we've been watching each world carefully for it to happen again. When we noticed the faint but powerful strength of the darkness here, we were relieved we discovered it in time and the Crimson Dragon had Izanagi get me to come down here to help. All of us, deities, knew this was going to go from bad to worse fairly quickly."

"And with how these men seem to be after deities for their power, don't you think it's a bit risky to stay here?" Trudge asked.

"Perhaps," Yusei replied. "But at this point, I can't turn back. This darkness has gotten too powerful for me to question staying here and leave mortals to it. I may only be able to help protect the Signers and mortals from this darkness, but protecting you is all I've done for mortals since the first world and life forms were created. It's a job that I cannot ignore, especially since this darkness is powerful enough to change the threads of mortals."

"I see," Mina responded.

"Either way, something bad is coming," Jayla stated. "And we need to be ready since the tournament seems to be a key point in this darkness." They nodded in agreement.

They turned though as another officer came in and Trudge asked, "What is it?"

"There is a report that there is a time bomb inside the building," the officer information. Yusei glanced down in thought. Something didn't seem right.

While Trudge and Mina called for an evacuation, Bruno asked him, "Do you sense any energy like from a bomb?"

"No," he answered.

Trudge ordered the three of them out. But just as they went to exit the area, Yusei noticed Sherry run in the building. He immediately turned around and ran after her.

"Yusei!" Jayla called but he followed Sherry. However, he did noticed Bruno and Jayla follow him.

Yusei noticed Sherry go through a door to the central computer terminal and Elsworth begin to shut the door. He slipped through along with Bruno but Jayla was locked on the other side.

Elsworth began to wire his duel disk to the door. Once his duel disk was fully wired to the door, he stated, "It is now impossible for the door to be unlocked unless I am defeated in a duel. If you want to get to Mistress Sherry and your friends, you will have to face me."

"Fine," Jayla agreed and they began the duel.

Elsworth went first and drew his card, "I summon Spirit Summit Warrior (Attack 1200/ Defense 0) in attack mode. Now since Spirit Summit Warrior was successfully normal summon, its effect activates, allowing me to summon Liberated Rear Warrior (Attack 0/ Defense 1200) from my hand in attack mode as it is a level three or below warrior type monster. Now I tune Spirit Summon Warrior with Liberated Rear Warrior in order to synchro summon. Come forth, Driven Daredevil (Attack 2400/ Defense 2100)! I end my turn with two face downs."

Jayla drew her card. "By sending Quillbolt Hedgehog from my hand to the graveyard, I can special summon Quickdraw Synchron (Attack 700/ Defense 1400) form my hand in attack mode. Now since I have a tuner monster on my field, I can special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog (Attack 800/ Defense 800) straight from my graveyard in attack mode. I then tune Quillbolt Hedgehog with Quickdraw Synchron in order to do my own synchro summoning. I summon forth, Nitro Warrior (Attack 2800/ Defense 1800)! Nitro Warrior, attack Driven Daredevil!" Due to Elsworth's monster's effect, it wasn't destroyed but Elsworth's life points still took the hit dropping him to 3600 life points.

"I activate the second effect of Driven Daredevil! This destroys your Nitro Warrior," Elsworth fought. "And then I activate Master and Servant's Resolve! Since your monster was destroyed by a monster's effect during the battle phase, you're dealt damage equal to the attack of your Nitro Warrior!" Her life points instantly dropped to a mere 1200.

"I summon Tricular (Attack 300/ Defense 300) in defense mode and set one face down. That ends my turn," Jayla finished. "What're you and Sherry doing?"

"I am here to help Mistress Sherry eliminate all her enemies, regardless of my cost to myself," Elsworth answered.

"Why are you so devoted to supporting Sherry and her mission?" she asked the man.

"I do not have to answer that," Elsworth refused.

. . .

Bruno and Yusei followed Sherry into a room where she began an analysis of a card.

"Sherry, what're you doing?" Yusei asked.

Sherry looked at them but reached to grab Bruno. But the half-amnesic man dodged the French girl, saying, "We don't want to fight you."

"I need to analyze this card," Sherry said.

Yusei looked at it confused. "Why?" he asked.

"I need to determine the motive behind my parents' murder," she answered.

Sherry went to unleash a lethal attack on Bruno, but the man's eyes glowed red and he deflected the attack, throwing Sherry across the room with ease. The girl lands, ready to fight more, but Bruno seized Sherry by the neck.

He was about the punch her, but Yusei grabbed his fist and yelled, "Bruno, stop!"

Bruno stopped and Yusei knew it was only because he noticed the card. Bruno grabbed it and Sherry exclaimed, "Give it back! It has the truth I've been searching for!"

At these words, Bruno returned to normal and he released Sherry. "What happened?" he muttered.

Yusei looked over him. "Something weird and dark took hold of you for a second. I'm not sure what it was, but it made you not you," he told him. He looked at Sherry. "Sorry about Bruno. I'll explain everything while I help you find out as much as I can about your card."

Sherry looked at him shocked. "You would really help me?" she asked. "But I broke into the headquarters."

Yusei gave her a reassuring grin. "It's the least I can do. One, it is as a compensation for Bruno's actions. I'm sure he'll help, too. Plus, and most importantly, I don't want the people who murdered your parents to get away with what they've done either," he told her and her eyes widened. "No one should get away with murder, Sherry." He then added mentally, _'Though it was probably those men who kill her parents and want to remake the world.'_

Sherry nodded and they got to work. And as Yusei subtly suggested to Bruno, he helped as well.

. . .

It was Elsworth's turn and he drew his card to begin his turn. "Now due to it being my standby phase, I will take 1000 points of damage to keep Master and Servant's Resolve on the field," he declared and his life points fell to 2600. "Driven Daredevil, attack Tricular!"

The attack destroyed my monster, but Jayla defended herself, "I activate Tricular's effect to special summon Bicular (Attack 200/ Defense 200) from my deck in defense mode."

"I activate Reversal Sword! This destroys your Bicular and inflicts damage to both of us equal to its attack," Elsworth fought and she watched as her monster was destroyed and her life points drop to 1000 while his dropped to 2400. "I set a face down and end my turn."

Jayla drew her card. "I summon Debris Dragon (Attack 1000/ Defense 2000) in attack mode. And now since Debris Dragon was successfully summoned, I can activate its first effect to summon back Tricular (Attack 300/ Defense 300) from my graveyard in attack position with its effects negated. And since I normal summoned a monster, I can special summon Turbo Booster (Attack 0/ Defense 0) from my hand in attack position," she declared. "Now I tune my Turbo Booster and Tricular with Debris Dragon in order to synchro summon. Take flight, Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)! Stardust Dragon, attack Driven Daredevil!"

"I activate Standoff!" Elsworth fought. "And due to the first effect of my Daredevil, it isn't destroyed while dragon is." But his life points still fell to 2300.

"I activate Stardust Dragon's ability to negate the effect of Driven Daredevil and destroy it by tributing Stardust Dragon," Jayla tried but it didn't happen confusing her.

"With Standoff in play, both players cannot tribute monsters on the field," Elsworth explained.

"Well, I activate Space Jump! By removing Stardust Dragon from play, I can inflict damage to you equal to its attack," she fought and the assault succeeded and Elsworth's life point fell to zero.

The door was unlocked and Elsworth and Jayla walked into the room where Bruno, Sherry, and Yusei were finishing an analysis on a card.

"That's strange," Bruno stated. "There's nothing strange about the card." But more surprising, the terminal surges a storm of energy and Jayla ran to them only as they were enveloped in a burst of light.

Jayla, Bruno, Sherry, and Yusei looked at each other and their surroundings that looked like a cyber plane. Jayla looked at Yusei, and she mouthed, "Know anything?" He shook his head. They turned back to the plane area.

But they all noticed a strange mechanical object with an eye staring right at them. They stared at it but a high pitched frequency and light scanned us. The sound made Yusei cover his ears in pain while the other three fell unconscious.

"W-What is that?" Yusei asked.

"Strange," said a deep voice that had a slight echo, while the noise stopped obviously making Yusei relieved. We looked as Jayla, Bruno, and Sherry flashed out. "Your mind and body is different. Very strange, indeed. But you are a god so I suppose it shouldn't be too surprising."

"Who are you?" Yusei asked it.

"You will find out eventually," the being answered. "Do not worry about that."

Suddenly the sound came out again, only much louder and higher pitched. Yusei covered his ears again, trying to block it out, but it wasn't long until he fell unconscious as well.

. . .

Yusei woke back up to see Jayla waking up beside him along with Bruno. Though, Sherry was still rendered unconscious. They looked around. They were back in their world but were far from the Sector Security Headquarters. Elsworth came up.

"There you are, Mistress Sherry," Elsworth stated. He looked at Yusei. "I owe you a debt for not turning us into Security, Yusei, Jayla." Elsworth then picked up Sherry and drove off.

"What… just happened?" Bruno asked.

"I don't know," Yusei answered. "But that being in that machine…"

"Did you talk to that thing?" Jayla asked. "I only saw it for a few seconds before I was knocked out by some sound."

"As a god, and if it wasn't obvious enough, my mind is more thoroughly protected to high frequency sounds and things like that, but it can hurt a lot more," the god explained. "Meaning I was able to stay conscious for a bit longer. In that time, the man inside just said that my mind and body was different, which was strange to him, but it shouldn't surprise him too much since I'm a god. And then said I would find out who he is eventually before sending out the sound again only a lot worse and knocking me out."

"Weird," Bruno commented.

"And I'm not sure I like it," Jayla added. "Come on, we need to head back to Headquarters so we can grab out runners." They nodded and Yusei took to the air, using his power to help Bruno and Jayla come with him as well.


	26. Duel of Minds

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 26: Duel of Minds

The next day, Yusei, Jack, Crow, Akiza, Bruno, and Jayla were in the garage making sure the improved duel runners would be okay.

"Think they'll be good to go?" Akiza asked.

"We'll be practicing running them tomorrow. We'll be able to tell then," Jayla replied.

Suddenly, the door burst open and they turned to see Leo and Luna running in. "We heard the duel runners are finished," Luna stated.

"Are they good to go?" Leo asked.

"Should be," Jayla answered.

"Nice new outfits, guys," Leo complimented seeing the outfit Jack, Crow, and Jayla were wearing.

"Thanks," Jayla responded.

"It's a bit uncomfortable, in my opinion," Jack stated. "I'm used to wearing my old clothes."

"Don't say stupid things like that. You're wearing the same clothes you always have!" Crow retorted.

"Guys…" Yusei called warningly making the fight cease before it began.

Luna looked at the name on the suits. "5D's?" she questioned. "Is that the team name?"

"Yeah," Crow answered. "Jack chose the name himself."

"Crow suggested it. It's better than using some other common name," Jack retorted.

"What does '5D's' even mean?" Leo asked.

"It means there are five D's. Like devil, destroy, dead hit, dark, daisuki Bruno," Bruno listed off but stopped as Jack hit him on the head.

"It starts with this," Jack stated and showed his mark.

"The five marks of the Crimson Dragon?" Luna asked.

Jayla nodded. "Our bonds were called together by the previous Crimson Dragon," she explained. She looked at look. "Even Yusei. He's just as much connected to us through the Crimson Dragon as us. Whether it's from the past timeline or the fact that the Crimson Dragon sent him to help us in this battle." He grinned a bit in thanks.

"And even though I don't have a mark, Luna and I came to know everyone because of Luna's mark," Leo commented.

"You two are part of the team too," Jack stated shocking them.

"My name isn't there. Maybe we should call the team 'Bruno and 5D's'," Bruno suggested prompting Jack to hit Bruno on the head again.

Yusei sighed. "Jack, stop hitting him," he ordered calmly.

"I think it's a good name," Akiza stated. They all put our hands together and Yusei grinned at them.

"From today onwards we are Team 5D's," Jayla stated.

. . .

The next day, Yusei stood with everyone at the stadium to check the preliminary match-ups for the World Racing Grand Prix.

"Are the preliminary rounds like a league?" Luna asked.

"There are thirty-two participating teams in total," Yusei explained. "And they're divided into blocks."

"Is the first team we face Team Unicorn?" Leo asked. "They're the guys we met at the opening ceremony."

"Team Unicorn won the Atlantis Tournament and are rumored to be strong candidates to win this one," Jayla remarked.

Leo sighed. "It would have been nicer to not have to face opponents like that in the same block," he stated.

"Candidates to win or not, we'll defeat whoever stands in our way," Jack cut in.

"If we're aiming for victory, we'll have to face strong opponents sooner or later," Jayla agreed.

"Exactly," Yusei followed. "There would be no way to avoid it."

"This just means that time came sooner," Crow commented calmly.

"I guess that is true, but…" Leo began but was cut off by Bruno.

"Jayla, it's almost practice time," he told the leader of the team. She nodded and she, Jack, and Crow departed for practice.

"What did they mean by practice?" Luna asked Yusei.

"It's just a practice run," he explained to them. "Testing the duel runners."

"Why don't we watch from the stands?" Akiza suggested.

They all agreed and walked towards the stands. They neared the circuit and a mechanical voice called for the lane to be used by Team 5D's for practice and asked for other teams to leave. They walked a bit farther when they spotted Trudge at the bottom of the stand at the opposite side of the wall. They walked down and greeted him respectfully.

"Did you guys come to support Jayla, Jack, and Crow?" Trudge asked.

"Yeah," Yusei answered.

"Why are you here in your Security uniform?" Leo asked.

"See the lanes?" Trudge replied and they all looked at them. "Teams are using them for practice and rotate as time passes. Since they're not using auto-pilot, I'm here in case there is an accident."

"Here they come!" Akiza alerted them and all of them turned as Jayla and the others came out.

They rode passed them, giving us a wave. Yusei gave a small wave back with a smirk. Inside the lane, Yusei heard Jayla say to the others, "The performance of the duel runners have upgraded well."

"Yeah," Jack agreed.

"Now that it can go this fast, I'm going to win the tournament for Pearson and Bolton," Crow stated and Yusei grinned in approval. "Why don't we test the speed?"

"Practice time for Team 5D's is now over. Please leave the lane," the voice called.

"The other team is probably not even at the lane," Crow stated and sped up.

"Crow, wait!" Jayla called as she and Jack stopped off to the side.

Yusei grew alert as he heard the motor of another duel runner coming from the course entrance. Suddenly, another turbo duelist entered the course as expected. Crow didn't have enough time to stop and ended up crashing along with the other duelist.

Yusei immediately ran up as Crow and the man stood up. Jayla and the others were quickly by him. "Are you guys okay?" he asked.

"I am," Crow answered.

"I'm fine," the other duelist followed. The other two teammates from the man's team came out. The seeming leader came up and Yusei recognized him as Andre.

"Good to see you again," he told them.

"It's nice to see you again, too, Andre," Yusei responded. "So you're the team who's practicing next? You make up Team Unicorn, right?"

"That's right," he answered. "This is my team, Jean and Breo." They each gave a nod of respect.

"Were you trying to sabotage us?!" Jean yelled at Crow, angry.

"Calm down, Jean. Everything's okay," Andre tried to calm his teammate, which worked.

"Is there something we could do to make up for this?" Jayla asked.

"How about a duel?" Andre suggested.

"Fine with me," she accepted. They each got on their runners. They activated Speed World 2 and took off like a bullet.

As the duel began, Yusei heard Jean and Breo talking on their side of the track. "We need to watch Jayla duel," Jean stated.

"Yeah, I've heard Jayla's good. If we can learn how she duels, we can beat her," Breo agreed.

Yusei was standing with the others on the other side, but looked at the two as he heard what they said. They looked in his direction, feeling his stare. Yusei turned back to the duel followed by the other two.

Jayla took the first turn and drew her card. "I summon Max Warrior (Attack 1800/ Defense 800) in attack mode," she declared. "That ends my turn."

Andre drew his card. "I summon Playful Possum (Attack 800/ Defense 600) in attack mode. And since you control a monster whose attack is higher than the attack of Playful Possum, I activate its effect to destroy itself. And now since a beast type monster I control was destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can pay 1000 life points to special summon Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest (Attack 2600/ Defense 1800)," he declared and his monster appeared as his life points fell to 3000. "Green Baboon, attack Max Warrior!" The attack succeeded and Jayla's life points fell to 3200. "I set two face downs and end my turn."

Jayla drew her next card. "I activate the Speed Spell- Angel Baton! This allows me to draw two cards as long as I send one card from my hand to the graveyard. Then I activate another Speed Spell- Angel Baton. And now I normal summon Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500) in attack mode and activate its effect. This allows me to special summon Speed Warrior (Attack 900/ Defense 400) from my graveyard in defense mode with its effects negated. And since I control a tuner monster, I can special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog (Attack 800/ Defense 800) straight from my graveyard in attack mode. I now tune my Speed Warrior and Quillbolt Hedgehog with Junk Synchron in order to summon Junk Archer (Attack 2300/ Defense 2000)!" And since Quillbolt Hedgehog was removed from the field, it was removed from play as well. "Now I activate the effect of Junk Archer to remove your Green Baboon from play until the end phase." Junk Archer fired an arrow at the giant baboon and it hit the monster, making it disappear from view. "Now, Junk Archer, attack Andre directly!"

"I activate Battle Instinct! This allows me to special summon Nimble Momonga (Attack 1000/ Defense 100) from my hand in attack mode," Andre fought. The attack continued and Andre's monster was destroyed, dropping Andre's life points to 1700. "And now since Nimble Momonga was destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, its effect activates, increasing my life points by 1000," His life points shot back up to 2700, "and allow me to special summon two more Nimble Momongas from my deck in defense mode."

"I set a face down and end my turn," Jayla finished. And due to it being the end phase, Andre's powerful monster returned to the field.

Andre drew his card. "I activate the second effect of Playful Possum to revive itself (Attack 800/ Defense 600) in attack mode. Then I tribute Playful Possum and one Nimble Momonga in order to tribute summon Behemoth the King of All Animals (Attack 2700/ Defense 1500)!" he declared and his monster rose up onto the field. "And now since Behemoth was tribute summoned, its effect activates, allowing me to return the two Nimble Momongas in my graveyard to my hand. And next I switch the Nimble Momonga that is on my field to attack mode. Green Baboon, attack Junk Archer!"

"I activate Chain Arrow!" Yusei defended. "This increases the attack of Junk Archer by 500 during the damage calculation only (Junk Archer: Attack 2800)." His monster destroyed Andre's, dropping Andre's life points to 2500. While since it was now after the damage calculation, the attack of Junk Archer returns to its original 2300 attack points. "And now I activate the second effect of Chain Arrow, reducing the attack of your Behemoth by 1000 (Behemoth the King of All Animals: Attack 1700) until the end phase."

"I activate Beast Burial Ritual to destroy my Nimble Momonga and draw two cards; however, I can't use the drawn cards this turn," Andre played. "And then I activate the effect of Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest! By paying another 1000 life points, I can special summon it from my graveyard in attack mode." His life points dropped to 1500 while his monster did return as said with a full 2600 attack points. "Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, attack his Junk Archer!" The attack succeeded and Junk Archer was destroyed while Jayla's life points fell to 2900. "Behemoth the King of All Animals, attack him directly!" The attack hit and Jayla's life points fell again to 1200. "I set one card and end my turn." And due to it being the end phase, the second effect of Chain Arrow expired, returning Behemoth to a full 2700 attack points.

Jayla drew her card to begin her turn. "I summon Shield Wing (Attack 0/ Defense 900) in defense mode and set two face downs. That's all for now," she declared.

Andre drew his card. "I summon a Nimble Momonga (Attack 1000/ Defense 100) in attack mode. I send the Nimble Momonga in my hand to the graveyard to special summon Egotistical Ape (Attack 1200/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. And now I activate the effect of Egotistical Ape to increase its level by the level of Nimble Momonga (Egotistical Ape: Level 7)," he declared.

"I activate Shield Coat! This doubles the defense of Shield Wing (Shield Wing: Defense 1800), though on my second standby phase, Shield Coat will be destroyed," Jayla defended.

"Well I tune Nimble Momonga with Egotistical Ape in order to synchro summon Naturia Leodrake (Attack 3000/ Defense 1800)!" Andre declared and his monster appeared next to him. "Green Baboon and Behemoth, attack Shield Wing!"

"Well due to Shield Wing's effect, it can't be destroyed by battle for two times this turn," Jayla informed.

"Well, I still have one more monster to play. Naturia Leodrake, attack Shield Wing one more time!" Andre ordered. The attack hit and was able to destroy Jayla's only monster. "Now I activate Howl of the Wind! This inflicts 300 points of damage to you for every beast type monster I control!" Her life points dropped to a mere 300 as the assault hit. "I set one face down and end my turn."

Jayla drew. "I summon Debris Dragon (Attack 1000/ Defense 2000) in attack mode and use its effect to revive Shield Wing in attack mode with its effects negated. Now I activate the Speed Spell- Vision Wind to revive Speed Warrior (Attack 900/ Defense 400) in attack mode. Now I tune Shield Wing and Speed Warrior with Debris Dragon to synchro summon. Take flight, Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)!" she declared and her dragon flew up beside her proud and tall. "Stardust Dragon, attack Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest!"

"You're just destroying yourself, Jayla," Andre stated.

"Not quite. I activate Synchro Strike! This increases the attack of Stardust Dragon by 500 for each synchro material monster that was used to summon it until the end phase. So that means it is gaining a total of 1500 extra attack points (Stardust Dragon: Attack 4000)," Yusei fought. The attack hit and Green Baboon was destroyed while Andre's life points fell to 100. "Now I activate Speed World 2's effect. By removing four speed counters, I can inflict 800 points of damage to you for each Speed Spell in my hand. Like my Speed Spell- Final Attack."

But just as the effect of Speed World 2 is about to resolve, the mechanical voice called that Team Unicorn's practice time was over, stopping the duel.

Jayla pulled over by the others. The opposing team came up. "Nice duel, Jayla. Can't wait to see how you duel in the tournament," Andre stated holding out a hand.

"Same," she agreed and they gripped hands.

While the other two just watched Yusei suspiciously, the god told the man, "We'll meet again in the tournament, Andre. I'm sure of it."

"Well, we better go before the other team shows up," he stated. "See ya." They walked off with that.

Jayla turned to her friends. "We should get going, too," she suggested. They nodded and left as well.


	27. Foretold Injury

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 27: Foretold Injury

Yusei was flying around the highways a bit worried. He knew what was coming today. It was told as clear on the mortal's thread as any deity could see. But that doesn't mean Yusei wasn't worried for the mortal. And as much as he wanted to be ready to heal them from the injury, if it was on their thread, he couldn't do anything per Izanagi's divine rules. And Yusei was not ready to break those rules.

So Yusei just settled to flying around looking for the mortal. Izanagi had also warned him of the event and said if Yusei wanted to keep the injury as little as possible, he could do so as long as he didn't get too badly hurt in the process. He only hoped he could help enough.

After a few more minutes of flying around, he heard it. A slight cry out of shock and something crashing. It was nearby, too. So, Yusei sprinted with the wind towards the sound and it didn't take a few seconds for him to see the mortal flying into the air ready to crash to the ground and get into a serious injury.

. . .

Crow was speeding down the highway, approaching a turn. _'I can do more!'_ he thought. He began to curve around the turn when a shadowy figure appeared in front of him. But just before he crashed into the figure, he did notice something.

The collision sent the bird named man and his duel runner flying into the air, out of control. Crow went flying down the highway. But just as he was about to hit the ground, he felt someone wrap their arms from under him. They slid on the ground to a stop.

The person let Crow go and he slowly sat up, stammering, "W-What… happened?" He looked at the person who caught him as they sat up. "Yusei?!"

"Are you okay, Crow?" he replied.

"I'm fine, I think," he answered. "Are you?"

"Fine," Yusei answered back.

Crow noticed a deep scrape on his shoulder completely heal itself within seconds and with no sign of it ever being there. _'Yusei is immortal for a reason,'_ he thought.

Yusei looked as the bird named man winced as he moved his right arm. The god noticed the shoulder was slightly off its placement. _'It's not as bad as it showed in his thread. I was at least able to keep it from getting too bad,'_ he thought. Yusei hurried over and lightly touched it and Crow winced. "Dislocated."

"What're we going to do?" his Signer friend asked.

"First of all, we need to get it back in place. And then have it looked at my a doctor," the god answered.

Crow groaned slightly. "Won't that hurt like a ton?" he asked nervously.

"I can tone down the pain for you," Yusei replied. "You may feel some pressure, but it won't be as bad as with nothing." Crow nodded. The God of Wind placed his left hand on the back shoulder blade and used his power to numb it nearly completely. Within seconds after, Yusei popped it back into place. "I wouldn't be moving it or using it too much until we get it checked out."

"How long do you think the pain relief thing you just did will last?" Crow asked.

"Another hour or so," Yusei answered.

They turned as Jayla, Jack, and Bruno came driving up beside them. "What happened?" Jayla asked.

"I got into a crash, but Yusei was able to save me from the brunt of it," Crow explained. "He just popped my shoulder back into place."

"What made you crash?" Bruno asked.

"I'm not really sure," Crow answered. "I ran into the weird, dark, shadowy figure and was then sent flying down the highway."

"Let's get you to the hospital to get you checked out, Crow," Yusei suggested. The others nodded. Bruno called for a mechanic to come grab Crow's duel runner. It didn't take long for one to show up and took it off to get it fixed. Crow then hopped behind Bruno and they took off to the hospital.

At the doctor's, Akiza and the twins came to meet the guys and Jayla. "We heard Crow got into an accident," Akiza stated.

"What happened?" Luna asked.

"Crow crashed into something and dislocated his shoulder. Yusei put it back in place and we're just waiting to hear how long it'll probably be before he can use the arm again," Jayla explained.

The doctor and Crow walked out. "I see someone relocated Crow's shoulder, am I correct?" the doctor asked.

"I did," Yusei answered.

"You helped us a great deal with that. He just shouldn't use that arm until it's fully healed," the doctor informed.

"How long will that be?" Bruno asked.

"It should be fully healed within a month," the doctor answered.

"But the prelims are in three days!" Akiza exclaimed worried a bit.

Crow began to beg the doctor to let him participate in the tournament, but the doctor refuses. The angered Crow moved to take his cast off, only to cry out from the pain.

"Crow!" Jayla called followed by Jack.

"Crow, stop," Yusei called gently. "You'll just make it worse."

"Why? Why now? What am I going to tell the nerds?" Crow muttered as tears began to fall down his cheeks.

. . .

Yusei was listening as Jack and Jayla were discussing what they were going to do now that Crow was out of action.

Bruno came downstairs, "You'll lose life points if you continue with only two players," he stated.

"We can't afford that," Jayla responded. "Yusei, can't you heal it or something. You healed Trudge nearly completely after his duel with the Ghost."

"As much as I want to, I was told by Izanagi not to. Mainly because it was a part of his thread, meaning it was a part of his fate. And deities are forbidden to get involved in a mortal's fate. Believe me, more than anything at the moment I want to heal him so he can duel. But I also don't want to get on Izanagi's bad side by disobeying the most absolute rule in the book," he responded grimly.

"Then what do we do?" Jack wondered. He was a bit frustrated that Yusei wouldn't help Crow; but after meeting Izanagi, he knew no one should disobey or intimidate that figure. Even being a mortal, he could sense that god's power when they were in the Divine Realm. So he couldn't really blame Yusei for not wanting to get that the Creation God's bad side.

"I'll participate," Akiza chimed in and they looked at her. "I'm a part of Team 5D's too. And I have my own duel runner." Crow began to walk out and Akiza called, "Crow, wait."

"Shut up!" Crow yelled. "You don't know how I am feeling right now!" He then walked out with that.

"Akiza, don't take anything he just said to heart. Remember, Crow loves dueling with everything he has. He had been looking forward to participating in this tournament for a while," Yusei told her. "He just needs time right now."

"Right," she agreed.

. . .

The next day, Jack, Bruno, and Jayla were on their duel runners with Yusei in the air searching for Crow and Akiza.

"Where are they?" Jayla wondered.

"I'm not sure," Yusei answered coming near her. He then began to focus and Jayla knew he heard something. "Head to the practice tracks, _"_ he told the Signers and Bruno.

They were quick to arrive together and they came in to see Crow drilling Akiza, just as Akiza and Yusei were after the duel against Andre.

As Akiza passed by, she flashed Crow a thumbs up. They all turned to each other as the approaching group stopped in front of the two.

"You can really worry a person, Crow," Yusei stated with a small grin. Crow nodded with a slight smirk.


	28. First Duel

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 28: First Duel

It was time for the first round of the World Racing Grand Prix. Jack and Andre were setting up to race each other for first turn.

Yusei stood by Jayla side and asked her slowly, "Do you have a bad feeling about this duel, too?"

"What do you mean by 'bad feeling'?" she replied a bit confused.

"I feel like whatever's going to happen in this duel, it won't be good," he explained.

"I don't know what you're exactly talking about, but if you're a god and you have a feeling like that, we should be careful," she responded. Yusei nodded before Jack and Andre quickly took off to race for the first turn.

Shocking everyone, Andre triggered an overboost system, causing an acceleration Jack couldn't match and forced him to settle for second. The first member of Team Unicorn drew his card. "I summon Uni-Horned Familiar (Attack 0/ Defense 1000) in defense position," he declared. "I then remove from play Speed Spell- The End of the Storm from my hand in order to special summon Monoceros (Attack 1000/ Defense 1000) in defense mode. I set two face downs to end my turn."

Jack drew his card. "Since you control monsters and I don't, I can special summon Vice Dragon (Attack 2000/ Defense 2400) from my hand in attack mode with its original attack and defense halved (Vice Dragon: Attack 1000/ Defense 1200)," he declared. "Next I normal summon Dark Resonator. I now tune my two monsters together. I synchro summon, Red Dragon Archfiend (Attack 3000/ Defense 2000)! Now Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Uni-Horned Familiar!"

"I activate Uni-Horned Familiar's effect! By removing itself and Monoceros from play, your dragon must attack," he declared.

"Well, Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Andre directly," Jack continued.

"I activate Different Dimension Barrier- Lost Force! This negates the attack and inflicts damage to you equal to the attack of Red Dragon Archfiend," Andre defended and Jack's life points fell to 1000.

"I set three face downs and end my turn," Jack finished.

Andre drew his card. "I activate Uni-Horned Familiar's effect to return it to the field in defense mode," he declared. "And next I special summon Monoceros from my removed from play zone in defense mode along with D.D. Unicorn Knight (Attack 1800/ Defense 900) in attack mode. Now I tune Monoceros with Uni-Horned Familiar to synchro summon. Run forward, Thunder Unicorn (Attack 2200/ Defense 1800)! And since Monoceros was sent to the graveyard for a synchro summon, I can special summon Uni-Horned Familiar from my graveyard in defense mode. Next up, I activate the effect of Thunder Unicorn to reduce the attack of your dragon by 500 for every monster I control except Thunder Unicorn (Red Dragon Archfiend: Attack 2000). And now since I activate the effect of Thunder Unicorn, no monsters besides Thunder Unicorn can attack this turn. So, Thunder Unicorn, attack Red Dragon Archfiend!" The attack hit and destroyed Jack's monster while the Signer's life points fell to 800. "I set a card to end my turn."

Jack drew his card. "I summon Mad Archfiend (Attack 1800/ Defense 0) in attack mode. I then activate Powerful Rebirth! This revives Dark Resonator with its attack and defense increased by 100 and its level increased by 1 (Dark Resonator: Level 4/Attack 1400/ Defense 400). Then I activate Rage Resynchro to send Mad Archfiend and Dark Resonator to the graveyard and special summon Red Dragon Archfiend from my graveyard with 500 more attack (Red Dragon Archfiend: Attack 3500)! Now attack Thunder Unicorn!" he ordered.

"I activate Dimension Trap! By removing from play Uni-Horned Familiar from my field and Different Dimension Barrier- Lost Force from my graveyard. I activate the effect of Different Dimension Barrier- Lost Force as the effect of Dimension Trap," Andre defended.

"I activate Overpower to negate the effect of Dimension Trap and destroy it," Jack fought. The attack continued and Thunder Unicorn was destroyed while Andre's life points fell to 2700.

"I activate Parallel Selection! This allows me to add Speed Spell- The End of the Storm from my removed from play zone to my hand and draw one card," Andre fought back.

If that wasn't enough, back in the booth, Bruno stated, "That's not good."

"What?" I asked as Crow, Yusei, and Jayla got closer.

"The air intake system of Jack's runner is showing signs of malfunction," Bruno explained.

Despite the fact it would mean a loss of Speed Counters, the team called for Jack to make a pit stop. But Jack refused, insisting, "I have to defeat Andre." He made a counter attack that defied Andre's defenses, but it was still seeming within Andre's plan.

"Andre isn't a power duelist," Yusei realized and they looked at him confused. "He only used a power deck before as a lure." Jayla nodded in agreement. "His deck truly takes advantages of attack. By going for a contest of strength, we played into his hands."

Andre drew his card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2," he declared. "By removing four speed counters, I can inflict 800 points of damage to you for each speed spell in my hand. Such as my The End of the Storm." Jack's life points fell to 0.

As per the rulings of the World Racing Grand Prix, it went to Andre's end phase and during the end phase, Red Dragon Archfiend was destroyed due to the last effect of Rage Resynchro.

Jack's duel runner activated the usual braking procedures, but a part of the mechanism burst. The vehicle spun out and broke apart. Yusei and the others were struck in worry and terror, helplessly watching Jack get thrown from the flying crash.

Yusei used his power over the wind to soften the landing as much as possible, but he was still hurt. Jayla began to try to hurry to him, but Yusei grabbed her arm to stop her and Jack said, "Don't, Jayla. Remember, if a person helps me, we get disqualified." Still hurt, Jack picked up his duel runner and began pushing it all the way to the pit. "I won't let our dream end up in there."

Akiza was waiting. Meanwhile, the winner of the round, Andre, was allowed to keep doing laps before the new teammate was brought onto the track and as his does his speed counters increase for each lap until they reach a maximum of twelve. After that, the losing team have their speed counters decrease, and once they reach zero, that team will automatically lose.

"Akiza, get ready," Jayla told her. But as she does, both Yusei and Jayla noticed she was nervous. "Akiza, look at the crowd." She did so and noticed her parents watching. "Your current self isn't alone anymore." Jayla handed her a card. "Go."

"Wait, this is…" Akiza trailed off.

"Your opponent won't think of you using that card. That's where a chance lies," Jayla told her.

"Have fun with your turbo duel, Akiza," Yusei told her.

"What fun is this?" she responded, obviously implying the plan was a reckless one. "But I will respond to your wish."

Jack arrived where Akiza was, with them only having one speed counter left. Akiza immediately sped off with him there and met up with Andre just in time.

"Think Akiza will be okay with your plan?" Yusei asked the eldest female Signer.

"Yeah," she answered. "At least, I hope so."


	29. Almost

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 29: Almost

Akiza and Andre raced for the first turn and luckily, Akiza got the first turn. After seeing this, Jack suddenly fainted and Yusei caught him. Mina, Carly and Stephanie were there and took him to the emergency room.

Yusei turned back to the duel where Andre told Akiza, "Using the overboost system is starting to slow me down. Let's see how you face me."

Akiza drew her card. "I'll start by summoning Phoenixian Seed (Attack 800/ Defense 0) in attack mode. "Next I send Phoenixian Seed to the graveyard to special summon Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis (Attack 2200/ Defense 0)!" Her monster rose from the ground in attack mode. "Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis, attack D.D. Unicorn Knight!" The attack succeeded and destroyed Andre's monster while dropping his life points down to 2300. After damage calculation, the effect of Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis activated which destroyed it. But the second effect activated, inflicting another 800 points of damage at Andre making his life points fall to 1500. "I set a card."

Yusei listened to Breo and Jean for a moment and Breo commented, "She really is going all out."

"That's because of the overwhelming disadvantage she has against Andre: the fact that our speed counters are at max, meaning Andre can activate any Speed Spell," Jean responded.

Yusei turned back to the duel where Akiza removed Phoenixian Seed from play and revived Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis in defense mode. She then thought, _'Andre can destroy my Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis with either a monster or his Speed Spell- End of the Storm so I can activate the second effect of Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis.'_

Andre drew his card. "I activate the Speed Spell- Dash Pilfer!" he declared. "This allows me to take control of your Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis until the end phase!" Akiza's monster flipped to her opponent's side of the field. "Next I normal summon Unibird (Attack 100/ Defense 600) in attack mode. And then I activate its effect! By removing itself and Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis from play, I can revive Thunder Unicorn (Attack 2200/ Defense 1800) in attack position." While Akiza's only monster went to her removed from play zone, Thunder Unicorn returned to the field. "Thunder Unicorn, attack Akiza directly!" The attack hit and her life points fell to 1800. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

Yusei turned back to Team Unicorn's teammates that haven't dueled. "Andre could have finished her by using Speed World 2's effect, but he didn't," Jean commented.

"Well, that would mean fighting Yusei with zero speed counters," Breo told his teammate. "I would've done the same thing."

"I don't like this," Luna commented taking his attention to them.

"I gave Akiza a secret to help her," Jayla told them.

"What is it?" Leo asked while they all turned to her, though Yusei already knew.

"Just continue watching," she told them.

Akiza drew her card. "First I summon Witch of the Black Rose (Attack 1700/ Defense 1200) in attack mode and activate its effect to draw one card," she declared and drew her card. "Since I added Rose Fairy (Attack 600/ Defense 1200) from my deck to her hand with a card effect, I can special summon it from my hand in attack mode. And then I activate the Speed Spell- Angel Baton to draw two cards and send one card from my hand to the graveyard." She drew the two cards while sending Glow-Up Bulb to the graveyard. "Now I tune my Rose Fairy with Witch of the Black Rose to synchro summon. Rise up, Black Rose Dragon (Attack 2400/ Defense 1800)!" Her ace monster rose to the field, roaring out ready to battle. Andre seemed concerned by the dragon's appearance. "Then I activate my face down, Star Siphon and use it on Black Rose Dragon. This allows me to summon a Siphon Token (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack mode with its level the same as the level of Black Rose Dragon (Siphon Token: Level 7) and making Black Rose Dragon level one (Black Rose Dragon: Level 1). Next I send Dark Verger to the graveyard to the graveyard to special summon Glow-Up Bulb (Attack 100/ Defense 100) in attack mode. Now I tune Siphon Token with Glow-Up Bulb to synchro summon! Bring forth the stars, Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)!"

Andre looked at the dragon surprised as she played the card. Most of Team 5Ds looked at Jayla shocked with her giving Akiza her best card.

Akiza then called taking their attention back to the duel, "Black Rose Dragon, attack Thunder Unicorn!" The attack hit and destroyed Thunder Unicorn while her opponent's life points fell to 1300. "Now, Stardust Dragon, attack Andre directly and end this!"

As the attack was about to hit him, Andre defended, "I activate Dimension Equilibrium to end the battle phase, remove Black Rose Dragon from play, and revive my Thunder Unicorn in attack mode!"

"I set two face downs and end my turn," she finished.

Andre drew his card. "I activate the Speed Spell- Speed Energy to increase the attack of Thunder Unicorn by 200 for every speed counter I have until the End phase (Thunder Unicorn: Attack 4600). Thunder Unicorn, attack Stardust Dragon!" he ordered.

"I activate my face down, Half Counter! This increases Stardust Dragon's attack by half the original attack of Thunder Unicorn (Stardust Dragon: Attack 3600)!" Akiza played. Though the attack succeeded in destroying Stardust Dragon and dropping Akiza's life points to 800, she wasn't eliminated from the duel.

"I activate the effect of Speed World 2! By removing four speed counters, I can inflict 800 points of damage for each Speed Spell in my hand," Andre fought. He reveals his Speed Spell- The End of the Storm.

"I activate Wicked Rebirth to pay 800 life points and revive Stardust Dragon in attack mode with its effects negated!" Akiza quickly played before her life points fell to zero.

"Looks like I decreased my speed counters for nothing," Andre stated. "That was a good move."

With the end phase of Andre's turn, the effect of Speed Spell- Speed Energy expired and Thunder Unicorn's attack returned to normal.

Akiza reached the pit and said to Jayla, "Sorry that I couldn't do anything."

"That's not true," Leo and Bruno told her.

"Leave the rest up to me," Jayla told her. She took off with that.

Akiza began to cry a bit so Yusei told her as Jayla had, "Akiza, look at the crowd."

She looked to see parents cheering for her along with the crowd. "Thanks," she told him.

They turned as the MC stated, "In order for Team 5Ds to reverse the situation and win, Jayla must now defeat three opponents in a row!"


	30. Nearly There- Part 1

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 30: Nearly There- Part 1

By the World Racing Grand Prix's rules, the field, speed counters, and the victor's life points are retained from the previous duel. Andre started with 1300 life points and eight speed counters and Jayla started with 4000 life points and five speed counters. Andre retained his field from the previous duel with Akiza and Jayla started with Stardust Dragon and Wicked Rebirth, which was equipped to Stardust Dragon, that were left by Akiza.

Jayla drew her card to start her first turn. "I summon Max Warrior (Attack 1800/ Defense 800) in attack mode," she began. "Now Stardust Dragon, attack Thunder Unicorn!" Andre's monster was destroyed and his life points fell to 1000. "Max Warrior, attack Andre directly!"

"I activate the second effect of Thunder Unicorn (Attack 2200/ Defense 1800) to revive itself in attack position," Andre defended.

"When Max Warrior, attack Thunder Unicorn. And due to its effect, Max Warrior gains 400 attack during the damage step only (Max Warrior: Attack 2200)!" Jayla fought and both monsters were destroyed. "I set a face down and end my turn."

Andre drew his card. "I set two cards face down. That's all for now," he played.

Jayla drew her card to begin her turn. "First, I special summon Card Breaker (Attack 100/ Defense 900) by destroying your set card." It was revealed that the face down was the Speed Spell- The End of the Storm.

"I activate Magic Charge!" Andre declared. "This inflicts 2000 points of damage to both players as a Spell Card was destroyed this turn!" Jayla life points fell to 2000 while Andre's hit zero. And due to the tournament's rules, it immediately went to her end phase and Andre passed the baton to Breo who proceeded in dueling Jayla.

"I wonder what kind of deck Breo has," Leo commented.

"Andre has won all of Team Unicorn's duels alone," Yusei pointed out. "So there's no information available on either of his teammates."

Breo drew his card. "First I summon Bicorn Re'em (Attack 800/ Defense 1600) in defense mode," he declared. "I then end my turn with two face downs."

Jayla drew her card a bit nervous. "I summon Dash Warrior (Attack 600/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. And now since I'm entering the battle phase, the effect of Dash Warrior activates, tripling its attack until the end of the battle phase (Dash Warrior: Attack 1800)," she declared. "Dash Warrior, attack Bicorn Re'em!"

"I activate my face down, Negate Attack! This negates your attack and ends the battle phase," Breo defended and Dash Warrior's attack returned to a normal 600.

"I switch Card Breaker to defense mode and end my turn," Jayla finished.

Breo drew his card. "I summon Mine Mole (Attack 1000/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. Now I tune my Mine Mole with Bicorn Re'em in order to synchro summon. Rush forward, Voltic Bicorn (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)!" he called. "Now since Bicorn Re'em was sent to the graveyard for a synchro summon, its effect activates, forcing you to send the top two cards of your deck to the graveyard. And now since Mine Mole was sent to the graveyard for a synchro summoning of a beast-type synchro monster, its effect allows me to draw one card." Breo drew his card. "And now I activate the effect of Speed World 2! By removing ten speed counters, I can destroy Voltic Bicorn. And this activates Voltic Bicorn's effect, forcing both players to send cards from the top of our decks to the graveyard equal to the level of Voltic Bicorn!" Jayla sent her cards to the graveyard along with Breo, leaving Jayla with a deck of 23 cards. "I end my turn with two face downs."

The female Signer slowly drew her card. "First I activate the Speed Spell- Accelerate Draw which allows me to draw two cards from my deck!" she declared and drew her two cards decreasing her deck further. "Stardust Dragon, attack Breo directly!" The attack hit and Breo's life points fell to 1500.

"I activate my face down, Regretful Tuning to revive my Voltic Bicorn in attack mode!" Breo fought.

"I set two cards face down and end my turn," Jayla finished.

Breo drew his card. "Voltic Bicorn, attack Stardust Dragon!" he called.

"I activate Synchro Striker Unit and equip it to Stardust Dragon! This increases its attack by 1000 (Stardust Dragon: Attack 3500)," Jayla fought.

Breo called, "I activate my set Flattery! This increases the attack of Voltic Bicorrn by the difference of the original attack of your Stardust Dragon and its current attack (Voltic Bicorn: Attack 3500)." Both monsters were destroyed in the battle. "And now Voltic Bicorn's attack activates, making us send another seven cards to the graveyard." Jayla sent her cards to the graveyard along with Breo. "And next I activate Tuning Collapse! This makes you send the top eight cards from your deck to the graveyard since the number of cards equals the level of Stardust Dragon!" Jayla was now down to her last five cards and her team in the pit was beyond worried.

' _Keep focused, Jayla,'_ Yusei thought. _'Don't let fear cloud your mind.'_

"I set two face downs and end my turn," Breo finished. Jayla drew her card. "I activate my face down, Tricolor Illusion! Now none of your monster can attack. Also, once during each of your turns, you must reveal the top card of your deck and depending on the type of card, an effect will take place. If it's a monster, it will be added to your hand but you must place another card in your hand to the top of your deck. If it's a spell card, it will be added to your hand. If it's a trap card, you must discard it and one other card in your hand to the graveyard. You can, at any point during your main phase, send the top card on your deck to the graveyard to destroy Tricolor Illusion." Breo then thought, _'Jayla's not a person who would gamble, especially with her deck having so little cards left. So she would either destroy Tricolor Illusion with its own effect or the effect of Speed World 2, and that would allow me to activate Destruction Trigger, making her send five cards from the top of his deck to the graveyard and make her lose the duel.'_

To Breo's shock, Jayla called, "I activate the effect of Tricolor Illusion!" She revealed her card to be Junk Synchron. So she put Scrap-Iron Scarecrow from her hand to the top of her deck. "And now I summon Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500) in attack mode. Now I tune Card Breaker and Dash Warrior with Junk Synchron to synchro summon. Rise up, Junk Destroyer (Attack 2600/ Defense 2500)!" Her monster rose to the field. "Now since Junk Destroyer was synchro summoned, its effect activates. This allows me to destroy your Tricolor Illusion and your face down." The two cards were destroyed, shocking the opponent of Jayla. "Junk Destroyer, attack Breo directly!"

"I activate my face down, Damage Lance! This reduces Junk Destroyer by 1000 during damage calculation only (Junk Destroyer: Attack 1600) and inflicts 1000 points of damage to you," Breo fought. Yusei's life points fell to 1000 while the direct attack continued and Breo's life points fell to 0. And after the damage calculation, the effect of Damage Lance expired returning Junk Destroyer to a full 2600.


	31. Nearly There- Part 2

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 31: Nearly There- Part 2

Jayla watched as Jean, his newest and last opponent for Team Unicorn, came up to begin his turn. She was growing nervous but was careful not to let it show as Jean drew his card.

"I normal summon Trident Warrior (Attack 1800/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. Now its effect activates, allowing me to special summon Delta Flyer (Attack 1500/ Defense 900) from my hand in attack mode," the last Team Unicorn member declared. "And then I activate the effect of Delta Flyer to increase the level of Trident Warrior by one (Trident Warrior: Level 5). Now I tune Trident Warrior with Delta Flyer to synchro summon, Lightning Tricorn (Attack 2800/ Defense 2000). Lightning Tricorn, attack Junk Destroyer!"

"I remove Shield Warrior in my graveyard from play to prevent Junk Destroyer from being destroyed by battle this turn," Jayla fought. But damage still applied, dropping her life points down to 800.

"Well now I activate the effect of Speed World 2. By removing four speed counters and showing you my Speed Spell- Tyrant Force in my hand, I can inflict 800 points at you," Jean played.

"I remove Damage Eater that is in my graveyard from play and remove from play one card in my hand to negate the damage I would take and increase my life points by the damage I would have taken," Jayla defended and her life points thankfully rose to 1600.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," Jean finished. _'Jayla's exhausting her reserves. I just have to make her run out of cards. Everything she does at this point is futile,'_ he thought.

Jayla drew her card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2! By removing ten speed counters, I can destroy Lightning Tricorn!" she declared. The monster shattered into light particles. "Junk Destroyer, attack Jean directly!"

"I activate my face down, Reanimation Wave! This halves the battle damage and revives Lightning Tricorn at the end of the damage step," Jean defended. His life points fell to 2700 and his monster returned to the field.

"I summon Sonic Chick (Attack 300/ Defense 300) in defense mode and end my turn," Jayla finished.

Jean drew his card. "I summon Rhinotaurus (Attack 1800/ Defense 600) in attack mode. Lightning Tricorn, attack Junk Destroyer!" he ordered. The attack succeeded in destroying Jayla's monster and depleting the Signer's life points to 1400. "Rhinotaurus, attack Sonic Chick!" The attack destroyed Jayla's last remaining monster. "And now since two of your monsters were destroyed in the same battle phase, Rhinotaurus may attack twice during this battle phase. So, Rhinotaurus, attack Jayla directly!"

"I activate my face down, Harmony Crystal! By removing from play Junk Destroyer and Max Warrior, I can revive Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)," Jayla defended.

"Alright, I won't attack," Jean finished. And due to the last effect of Harmony Crystal, Jean took damage equal to half the attack of Stardust Dragon dropping him to 1450. "I set a card face down and end my turn."

Jayla drew her card. "Stardust Dragon, attack Rhinotaurus!" she ordered and Jean's monster was destroyed while his life points fell to 750.

"I activate my face down, Thousand Crisscross! This makes my life points increase to 1000 since I have less than 1000 life points," Jean defended. "And when this effect is used three times, Thousand Crisscross will be destroyed."

"I set a face down," Jayla finished. "That's all for now."

Jean drew his card. "I activate Superficial Peace! Until the end of this turn, neither player can activate spell or trap cards and no monster can be destroyed in battle," he played. "Lightning Tricorn, attack Stardust Dragon!" Jayla's dragon wasn't destroyed but her life points dropped to 1100. "And now since you took damage, I can destroy your face down and draw one card." Jayla's face down shattered while Jean drew his card as said. "I set two cards face down and end my turn.

' _With only two cards left in my deck and an opponent capable of reading my moves so easily, this doesn't seem like it'll end well,'_ Jayla thought, her nervousness beginning to show.

Meanwhile his team, but Yusei who seemed pretty confident that Jayla was going, was becoming a frantic in worry.

Suddenly, from the sidelines, a familiar voice called out, "Jayla, don't show fear in this situation!" They turned to see Jack staggering out from the hospital wing, throwing off the assistance of Carly, Stephanie, and Mina. Jack turned to the rest of his team, telling them, "Don't give up on Jayla, no matter how slim the chances are."

"Right," Yusei agreed. "I know she'll win this."

"How?" Luna asked.

"It's a part of her thread," he answered bluntly and they went wide eyed. "And considering it's a part of her fate to win this duel, you guys can't lose hope on Jayla. Trust she'll win and she will."

"Right," Akiza agreed along with the others.

Yusei watched as Jayla was spurred into her next draw after Jack's words. She noticed she got a card she needed. "First I summon Synchron Exploder (Attack 0/ Defense 700) in attack mode and activate its effect. This allows me to revive Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500) from my graveyard with its effects negated. Now I tune Synchron Exploder with Junk Synchron to synchro summon, Junk Warrior (Attack 2300/ Defense 1300)!" _'Ever since I learned of that Accel Synchro summon, I have been looking for a new possibility of victory. Though I haven't figured out that secret just yet, I have learned a new answer for this situation,"_ she thought. "I activate the Speed Spell- Speed Fusion! With it, I fuse Stardust Dragon with Junk Warrior in order to fusion summon. Fly up, Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste (Attack 3200/ Defense 2000)!" The monster rose and roared out, readying for battle. "Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste, attack Lightning Tricorn!"


	32. Nearly There- Part 3

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 32: Nearly There- Part 3

"Fly up, Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste (Attack 3200/ Defense 2000)!" Jayla called. The monster rose and roared out, readying for battle. "Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste, attack Lightning Tricorn!"

Though Jean's monster was destroyed, he played, "I activate Return Damage! This negates the damage I would take and inflicts it to you equal to the battle damage I would have taken."

"Not quite. Due to the final effect of Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste, that damage is redirected at you," Jayla defended and her opponent's life points fell to 600.

"Talk about a move!" Crow commented impressed.

"Yeah," Akiza agreed.

"What's up with Jayla's transformation?" Bruno muttered.

"I wasn't predicting for you to have such a monster," Jean told his opponent shocked.

Meanwhile, Jean's teammates were also surprised by the monster.

"How did Jayla get that card?" Andre asked.

"No idea. We have no data on Jayla ever summoning such a monster," Breo replied.

Even through his shock, Jean continued the duel, "I activate the effect of Thousand Crisscross, returning my life points to 1000. And since Lightning Tricorn was destroyed by battle, I can activate its effect to summon Voltic Bicorn (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000) from my extra deck in attack mode."

"I set a face down and end my turn," Jayla finished.

Jean, being slightly angered, thought, _'Now I have to focus more on trying to get rid of Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste instead of focusing on trying to make Jayla run out of cards. After all, his new monster may have other effects that may turn the tables on me.'_ Jean drew his card. "Voltic Bicorn, attack Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste!"

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Jayla defended. "This negates the attack. And after this effect resolves I can reset it." Jean's monster was shot back from its attack and Jayla's card reset itself as said since its job was done for now.

"I set a card face down and end my turn," Jean finished.

Jayla had one last card in his deck and she immediately put all her hopes on it. She drew it and looked at the card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2! By removing four speed counters, I can inflict 800 points of damage for each speed spell in my hand," she declared and revealed the Speed Spell- Overspeed, knocking Jean's life points to 200. But Thousand Crisscross activated again returning Jean to a 1000 life points before it was destroyed. "Now I activate the Speed Spell- Overspeed! By removing all my speed counters, I can add Rapid Warrior and Reflect Barrier from my graveyard to my hand, but I can't gain any speed counters for the next three turns. And now I summon Rapid Warrior (Attack 1200/ Defense 200) in attack mode. I then activate its effect! This allows it to attack directly this turn, but no other monsters can attack." Rapid Warrior goes to attack directly.

"I activate my face down, Barrier Wave! By tributing Voltic Bicorn, I can change all of your monsters to defense position," Jean defended and Jayla's monsters turned to defense mode. "And now you take damage equal to the defense of the monster that just attacked!" Her life points immediately dropped to 900.

"I activate A/D Changer from my graveyard! This allows me to switch Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste to attack mode," Jayla declared. "I then end my turn with one face down."

"Will you continue to entertain me?" Jean mocked and drew his card.

"I activate my face down, Summon Tax! Until my second standby phase, if a monster is normal summoned or special summoned, the player who summoned the monster will take damage equal to half that monster's attack," Jayla played.

"I activate the Speed Spell- Tyrant Force! This prevents any of my cards from being destroyed this turn and inflicts 300 points of damage to you each time one or more of my cards are destroyed," Jean fought. "And now I activate the effect of Speed World 2! By removing ten speed counters, I can destroy Summon Tax."

"I can activate the first effect of Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste. By removing from play Stardust Dragon, I can grant Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste the effects of Stardust Dragon," Jayla declared. "So I activate the first effect of Stardust Dragon granted to Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste. By tributing itself, I can negate the effect of Speed World 2!" Her monster disappeared. "And when it's your end phase, Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste will be revived due to Stardust Dragon's second effect granted to it."

"Well I normal summon Hypnocorn (Attack 1400/ Defense 700) in attack mode," Jean declared and the effect of Summon Tax activated dropping his life points to 300. "I activate the effect of Hypnocorn to destroy your face down!" The effect of Speed Spell- Tyrant Force activated dropping Jayla's life points to 600. "And now I activate my face down, Chain Whirlwind! This destroys your Summon Tax and face down Scrap-Iron Scarecrow." The effect of Tyrant Force activated again dropping Jayla's to 300 life points, tying Jean's.

"If Jean ends his turn right now, Team Unicorn will win the duel!" the MC commented.

' _Should I really make Yusei lose due to having no cards in his deck? Could Yusei still have a reversal plan in this situation? If I end my turn now, it'll be a sure victory,'_ Jean thought. He looked at Yusei's set expression, making him hesitate.

To Jayla's team slight shock, Jean launched an attack at the female Signer, "Hypnocorn, attack Rapid Warrior!"

"I send Stronghold Guardian from my hand to the graveyard in order to increase the defense of Rapid Warrior by 1500 until the end phase (Rapid Warrior: Defense 1700)!" she defended. The attack failed and Jean's life points fell to 0, leaving Jayla as the victor.

She returned to her friends and Jack suggested, "Why don't we head to the garage for a little break? There is still plenty of time before our next duel." The others nodded in agreement and followed with ease.


	33. Scenarios That Play Out

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 33: Scenarios That Play Out

They were talking at the garage celebrating at Jayla's win, though Akiza insisted on practicing her riding and wasn't a part of this. But, Yusei was off to the side watching. He was content enough to see them happy in this situation. Luna walked over to him, noticing he hadn't joined them.

"Are you alright, Yusei?" she asked a bit quiet as to not worry the others.

"I'm fine," he answered. "Just trying to remember the last time I had seen you guys so happy in a situation like this in person."

"It was probably back in the other timeline," she responded.

"Probably," he answered.

"Is something worrying you?" Jayla asked as they turned to him.

"Not really," Yusei answered. "Don't worry about me. You still have a long battle ahead."

"Any news on this coming duel?" Jack asked.

"You're facing Team Catastrophe," he began slowly. "They don't play fairly."

"What do you mean?" Crow asked.

"Though I'm not entirely sure how, they use a card in their duels to jam up their opponent's duel runners and make them crash to disqualify their opposing team," Yusei explained grimly. "I'm surprised you haven't heard it being done to the other teams."

"Think they'll try it with us?" Jayla asked.

"It's more than likely. You're big contenders in this tournament," they responded. "If you're not careful, they will do what they can to stop you from continuing. So, Jack, you're dueling them first. The best advice I can give you is watch the ground and avoid any attempts to jam up your runner. That goes for the rest of you, too."

"Right," they agreed.

"Yusei," Jayla called and he looked at her. "You're a god and you've seen my thread for this timeline. Do I ever get a hold of that Accel Synchro?"

"You do," he answered. "Not too far away from now, actually."

"How do I do it?" she asked.

"It's a part of your fate," he replied. "I can't tell you."

"Oh come on! We most likely _need_ that synchro for when we duel Team New World!" Crow exclaimed. "Can't you give her a hint or something?"

Yusei sighed. "All I can tell you is this: Keep a clear mind," he replied, his face down and eyes closed. "That's all I can say, though, without risking getting on Izanagi's bad side."

"Better than nothing," Jayla responded.

"Wait, so when will Jayla actually learn Accel Synchro?" Leo asked.

"After your duel with Team Catastrophe," Yusei answered.

" _After_?" Crow questioned. "Why after?"

"I can't say," he responded. "It's a big event in everyone's threads. At least, everyone in the tournament."

"Will someone pull something big and bad after the duel?" Luna asked.

"Yes, but I can't say what will happen or who will do it," Yusei replied.

Crow groaned. "Fine," he gave in. They looked at the clock. "We need to get back to the stadium."

"Alright," they agreed.

"I'll go find Akiza and let her know it's time if she hadn't noticed already," Yusei told them and took off before they could argue.

"If he gets into trouble again, I'm not sure what I'll do," Jayla muttered a bit frustrated, but took off with the others back with the stadium.

. . .

As they arrived at the stadium, they however looked over only to find that Andre and Jean had both crashed with Breo beside them in a state of shock. They looked to the side and saw Team Unicorn's previous opponents, Team Catastrophe, standing by in silence but with grins on their faces like nothing had happened.

Jayla walked up to Breo. "Breo, what happened?" she asked.

"We're not sure. But we're not the only ones that Team Catastrophe has had crash. Every one of his opponents has crashed," Breo answered.

"We should probably figure this out," Jayla stated.

"I'll try to give you some of our data from their runners," Breo said. They helped Jean and Andre into the booth and Bruno started to analyze the data.

"Both runners had experienced a rapid change in functionality during their duels. Both duel runners had crashed because their rear wheels jammed," Bruno concluded.

"But what would cause the same malfunction over three times?" Leo asked. "It doesn't add up."

Carly came running up. "I have this tape I made of Team Unicorn's duel with Team Catastrophe. Maybe it has something," she stated.

"Why didn't you not mention this earlier?" Jack asked sternly seeming a bit angry.

"It doesn't matter. As long as we have it now," Jayla intervened. As they watch the tape, with it slowed down just before the crashes, nobody could see anything unusual but the leader of Team 5Ds had a feeling it wasn't good.

"There isn't anything wrong with the duel runners," Andre commented.

"Something else is there though. Just before every crash, the same monster was on the field," Jayla noticed.

Bruno typed through a bit and located its name. "It's called Hook the Hidden Knight," he informed the group.

"I know you were our opponents but just be ready since you're dueling them next," Andre mentions. "We don't need another crash in this tournament." Jayla nodded with Jack giving a determined face.

"We need to get out there," Jayla stated.

"Right," they agreed agreed

Luna then looked around, but couldn't find the other two of their team. "Wait, where's Akiza and Yusei?"

. . .

Akiza was on the highway working hard on practicing her skills. She passed under a bridge and was shocked as her duel runner locked up. As she was thrown from the crash, she summoned Rose Tentacles. But as its vines reached for her, she passed right through them.

' _My psychic powers aren't working!'_ she thought before she hit the pavement.

. . .

" _Luna,"_ called Yusei's voice in the child's head.

" _Yusei!"_ she called back. _"Where are you?"_

" _With Akiza. You and the others need to get to the hospital,"_ he replied sounding worried.

" _Why, Yusei? What's happened?"_ she asked.

" _Akiza got into a serious crash and is in the hospital,"_ he explained. _"A couple citizens called for it. When I found her, medics had already arrived meaning I couldn't heal her like I wanted to."_

" _What caused the crash?"_ Luna asked.

" _Her duel runner locked up,"_ Yusei answered. _"From what I can tell, this has something to do with Team Catastrophe. Just hurry to the hospital."_

Luna gave a worried face. "What's going on, Luna?" Jayla asked. "Is Yusei contacting you?"

She nodded "It's Akiza. She's in the hospital," she answered. They gave her a shocked and worried look as they took off.

"Did Yusei say how bad she was injured?" Leo asked.

"He just said she got into a 'serious crash'. Not a lot of details on it," Luna explained. "But he also mentioned that the medics had gotten to her before he got there so she couldn't heal her like he wanted to."

"Did he say what caused the crash?" Jayla asked.

"He said that her runner seemed to have locked up," Luna replied. "He also thinks it has something to do with that Catastrophe team we're facing next."

They arrived at the hospital just to see Akiza being rolled in. She was unconscious with a breather mask on her and was in an obvious critical state.

Yusei came up seeming tense and worried. "Who did this?" Crow asked mad.

"I don't know for certain, but I feel it was Team Catastrophe. Didn't Luna tell you that?" the god answered.

"Yeah," Crow sighed. "Why didn't you heal her again?"

"By the time I found her, she was already seriously injured with the medics arriving and taking her in the ambulance. There wasn't anything I could've done at the moment," Yuusei explained. "Mina was there as well. A couple people had called it in when she crashed and Mina was talking to them for any signs of who did this for a fact. Nothing came up."

"Couldn't you have known by her thread or something?" Jayla asked.

"I don't usually look at a mortal's threads too often or too thoroughly unless I have a severe reason. Other than that, Izanagi would tell me if there was an event I needed to help or stop," he explained. "I wasn't warned by him or aware that this event would happen. If I did, I would've stuck by Akiza when she went to practice on her duel runner."

"Would you have saved her?" Jack asked.

"Considering Izanagi didn't tell me of it, I would've," he answered. "Typically the only reason I decide to only helped a situation alone is if Izanagi tells me it is too important to stop it from happening completely. Those times are typically the only that I'll never fully stop it for a mortal in this time of a situation. In other works, if I would have known ahead of time, I would've saved her from the crash to the best of my ability." They gave a slow nod of acceptance.

Bruno phone rang. "We have to get to the stadium. It's almost our time," he informed the group.

"Bruno, can you stay here and watch Akiza?" Jayla asked. "This way you can keep us informed of her wellbeing."

"Right," he agreed. "Be careful."

"Right," Jayla agreed.

"Yusei, you coming?" Jack asked.

"What's coming after the duel, I'll need to be there for," he replied. "So, yes, I'm coming."

"Alright," Jayla agreed and everyone but Bruno hurried off to the duel.


	34. Catastrophic Events

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 34: Catastrophic Events

As they arrived back at the stadium, Team Catastrophe looked at Team 5D's with subtle shocked expressions.

The MC called for everyone's attention as he exclaimed, "Alright everyone! It's time for the next duel! We have Team Catastrophe versus Team 5D's!" The entire crowd cheered enough for Team Catastrophe but when Team 5D's was called out they went ecstatic.

"Let's get this done," Jack stated as he boarded his runner.

They took off as the duel started and Hermann took the first move having him draw his card. "I summon Hook the Hidden Knight (Attack 1600/ Defense 0) in attack mode. Then I set one face down and end my turn," he declared.

Jack drew his card. "I summon Mad Archfiend (Attack 1800/ Defense 0) in attack mode and have it attack that Hook the Hidden Knight!" he declared.

"I activate Hook the Hidden Knight's effect! This switches both battling monsters to defense mode," Hermann declared. "Then his second ability kicks in which inflicts 800 points of damage to you."

As Jack's life points drop to 3200, Hook the Hidden Knight appears from his shadow and tried to grab Jack's duel runner to made him crash. Jack managed to avoid it while everyone else in the booth was surprised by the appearance of the hook.

"Will he be alright, Yusei?" Leo asked as he and Luna looked at the god.

"He'll be fine," he answered.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," Jack declared.

"My turn!" Hermann shouted drawing his card. "I switch Hook the Hidden Knight to attack mode and summon Dark the Hidden Knight (Attack 800/ Defense 0) in attack mode," he declared. "Next I'll have Dark the Hidden Knight attack you directly thanks to its effect!" The attack was made and forced Jack's life points to 2400. "Now I'll let Hook the Hidden Knight attack your Mad Archfiend!"

"I activate Ray of Hope! When I take battle damage that is 1500 point or higher, I can halve the battle damage," Jack declared. Though Mad Archfiend was destroyed, Jack only took 900 points of damage giving him 1500 life points total. The shadow hook tried to get his duel runner again but Jack swerved to avoid it.

"I set one face down," Hermann declared.

"Draw!" Jack exclaimed. "I activate Powerful Rebirth! This lets me revive a level four or below monster from my graveyard with its level increased by one and it gains 100 attack and defense points," he declared. "And I'll summon back Mad Archfiend (Mad Archfiend: Attack 1900/ Defense 100) in attack mode! Now I summon Dark Resonator (Attack 1300/ Defense 300)! Next I activate Fiendish Chain! This allows me to target a monster you control. Its effects are negated and it can't attack and I choose Hook the Hidden Knight! Now I'll have Mad Archfiend attack Dark the Hidden Knight!" The attack was made and Dark the Hidden Knight was destroyed and knocked Hermann's life points from 4000 to 2900! I activate Urgent Tuning from my hand allowing me to tune during the battle phase. So now I tune my level three Dark Resonator and my level five Mad Archfiend to summon Red Dragon Archfiend (Attack 3000/ Defense 2000)!" The dragon appeared on the field ready for battle. "I activate Half Seize halving Hook the Hidden Knight's attack (Hook the Hidden Knight: Attack 900). Red Dragon Archfiend, attack his Hook the Hidden Knight!" Jack ordered his dragon. Hook the Hidden Knight was destroyed with Hermann's life points dropping to 800. "Now I activate Sonic Buster allowing me to target one of my monsters, and dealing damage to you equaling half that monster's attack. I'll choose Red Dragon Archfiend for this effect." The final blow was made and Hermann's life points dropped to zero making Jack the winner for the first duelist.

As Jack made laps around gaining speed counters, Hermann passed the baton to Nicolas. He drew his card and only set a card face down before ending his turn.

Jack drew. "I send Dread Dragon from my hand to the graveyard to summon Power Giant (Attack 2200/ Defense 0) from my hand in attack mode but Power Giant's level is lowered by the level of Dread Dragon (Power Giant: Level 4)," he declared. "Now, Power Giant, attack him directly!"

"I activate Doom Ray which deals 800 points damage to both of us for every card in my hand!" Nicolas declared. "Which means we both take 4000 points of damage."

' _He wants to destroy Jack's runner with that shadow effect of Doom Ray. He doesn't seem to realize Power Giant's effect and that he and Team Catastrophe will be taken out too by the blast,'_ Yusei thought.

"I activate Power Giant's effect which turns the effect damage to zero until the end of the damage step," Jack retorted.

While Jack took no damage, Nicolas took it all making his life points drop to zero and destroyed Nicolas' runner due to the shadow effect of his card.

An explosion occurred due to the card. Yusei and Jayla grew concerned it was Jack, but was completely relieved when Jack rode out of the flames carrying Nicolas. Due to Nicolas' destroyed runner, Team Catastrophe lost by default.

"That's it, everyone! Team 5D's has beaten the powerful Team Catastrophe and are moving on to the finals!" the MC exclaimed with cheers following from the entire crowd.

Jack delivered Nicolas to the other two members of Team Catastrophe before riding over to his team.

"Nice work, Jack," Yusei complimented. He, Jack, and Jayla looked out at the sky while it began to get heavy, dark cloud cover and he felt a dark energy embedded within it. "Something's coming, guys. Something you won't like."


	35. Ghosts of a Problem

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 35: Ghosts of a Problem

An army of Ghosts drove through the highways where duels from the World Racing Grand Prix were taking place, each in separate groups for each duel.

Some of the robots arrived where Team White Tiger was dueling against Team Lightning. They surrounded the White Tiger duelist and said, "We will join the duel."

"Duel system switching to battle royal mode," stated the computer system.

"Battle royal?" the Team Lightning repeated.

"I summon Ally Salvo! Ally Salvo, attack these two!" the Ghost ordered together and the two human duelists and sends them into a tumbling crash.

. . .

Watching the carnage from above, Primo stated, "The World Racing Grand Prix has been changed into battle royal mode. The turbo duelists' fates are at stake in these duels. If they want to live, they had better complete the Grand Design."

. . .

Back at the stadium, the MC called, "Crashes are occurring all over the highways!"

"Let's go talk to Mina and Trudge about this," Yusei suggested.

The others nodded and got onto their duel runners with the god flying as usual. They hurried to where Trudge, Mina, and a few Sector Security were looking over the highway.

"Trudge! Mina!" Yusei called as they stopped or landed, depending on who they were. The two officers turned as they ran up to them.

"What's going on?" Jayla asked.

Suddenly, a Security operator came up and said, "Sir, the highway's turbo dueling system has been changed into battle royal mode. There's a strange signal I am trying to identify."

They followed the officer who soon found the location. Shocking everyone there, it was revealed that the signal was coming from the Ghost.

"If there are more Ghosts…" Jayla trailed off. "That isn't good." They turned to see Sherry and Elsworth come up. "Nice to see you again, Sherry, Elsworth."

"You as well, Jayla," Sherry responded.

"The Ghost has appeared again," Yusei told them.

"The army of Ghosts can only mean that Yliaster is trying to destroy the tournament," Bruno stated.

"No," Yusei cut in. "They're after something bigger than that. If you recall, they hosted this tournament. They wouldn't want to destroy it."

"Is one of them going rogue, then?" Jayla asked.

"I don't know," he answered. "I don't like it, though."

"Either way, we need to fight together against the Ghost army. Hopefully, we can find the one who is controlling them before we're overwhelmed by sheer numbers," Jayla suggested.

"I can handle that," Yusei stated.

"Yusei, you're not going after any one of them," Crow denied quickly. "After what they've been trying to do with you."

"They won't be able to take me again, trust me. Besides, do you really think you can stop me?" he retorted before taking off.

"Yusei!" Luna called but sighed in defeat.

"What're we going to do about him?" Crow asked.

"I'll worry about him later," Jayla answered. "If something happens, we'll know and get to him."

"How can you get to him?" Mina asked.

"Luna's bracelet can track Yusei, so we can find him pretty easily," Leo explained rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Can that bracelet do everything or something?" Trudge asked.

"Not everything. Just certain things deity related," Luna answered.

"We can worry about this after we stop the Ghost army," Jayla responded. "They're a major problem right now."

"We will help you," Sherry agreed with Elsworth nodded.

"Same here!" called Kaz's voice as he drove up.

"Be careful. In battle royal mode, anyone can attack anyone, and the Ghost seem to be using that to their advantage," Trudge stated.

"And in a duel against a Ghost, the players suffer real damage. We can't afford to take the situation lightly," Jayla added.

They nodded and took off.

. . .

As Jayla and the others headed for the highway, Jakob said, "Some of the parts of the Grand Design are lighting up."

"Completing the Circuit is so boring and troublesome," Lester commented.

"We need the Ener-D's strength for that," Jakob responded. "Even though the world doesn't understand the true power of the duel runner and its energy source. When the Circuit is finally completed, the location of a god shall be revealed."

"The Circuit itself is as big as New Domino City; When it completes itself, the city will be destroyed," Lester added.

"It is a small sacrifice on our path to save the future," Jakob responded calmly.

Suddenly, Lester exclaimed something alarming to the Emperor. "The Ghost!" They turned to see images of it appear on the screen.

"They are the robots Primo created," Jakob recognized. "What're they doing out?" He turned back to the screen with the Ghost. _'What is Primo thinking?'_

. . .

Back at the highway, three Ghost robots were trying to defeat a female duelist.

 **(A/N: I will be numbering the Ghosts like "Ghost 1" and "Ghost 2" to make telling them apart easier. If you don't like it, I'm sorry, but don't be too harsh about it please.)**

Ghost 1 called, "Nullfier, attack her directly!"

"Swift Scarecrow, block that attack!" called Yusei's voice as his monster protected the duelist.

The Ghosts and duelist were surprised to see Yusei, Sherry, and Elsworth. "Hey, aren't you from Team 5D's?" the duelist asked Yusei.

"Drop out now. We'll deal with this," Yusei suggested.

"Thanks," she responded before dropping out from the duel.

Yusei quickly called forth Stardust Dragon and defeated the Ghosts along with Sherry and Elsworth.

. . .

At another location, a Ghost attacked another duelist with Clausolas when Kaz and Jack came up. Kaz directed the damage towards him with his Battle Eater while Jack proceeded to assault the Ghost with Red Dragon Archfiend, inflicting major damage.

. . .

Primo was quick to notice four more Ghost units were defeated. "Is Jayla behind this?"

Jakob appeared over a video call and asked, "Primo, what do you think you are you doing?"

"I'm not satisfied with your methods of completing the Circuit. Instead, I am forcing duels to speed up the process," Primo explained.

"The Ghost assault will not bring out the duelists' potential, which means the Circuit can't truly be completed," Jakob countered.

Lester appeared and told Primo, "Listen to Jakob. The one who stands in your way is Yusei, and you already lost to him."

Aggravated, Primo cut the conversation. "I will show Jayla that he can't win against me," he stated.

. . .

Jack and Kaz were facing four Ghost units when the robots suddenly broke off and went into other riding lanes.

"Where are they going?" Kaz wondered.

. . .

At the stadium, Mina and Trudge watched the monitor.

"That's strange," Mina commented.

"Yeah," Trudge agreed. "The Ghosts are all moving towards one sole point."

. . .

Back at the highway, Jayla defeated another robot with Stardust Dragon.

"Do you think it is over yet?" Sherry asked.

That's when they heard the multitude of Ghosts coming up behind them. An Infinity symbol appeared beneath the road as one of the Ghosts commenced the duel.

"The Ghost just forced the duel on us. We need to be careful," Jayla told them.

Ghost 1 went first and called, "I summon Ally of Justice Garadholg (Attack 1600/ Defense 800) in attack mode. I set two face downs and end my turn."

Elsworth went second. "I summon Spirit Summit Warrior (Attack 1200/ 0) in attack mode. Next I activate its effect to special summon Liberated Rear Warrior (Attack 0/ Defense 1200) from my hand in attack position. Now I tune Spirit Summit Warrior with Liberated Rear Warrior in order to synchro summon. Come forth, Driven Daredevil (Attack 2400/ Defense 2100)!" he called. "Driven Daredevil, attack Ally of Justice Garadholg!" The attack succeeded in destroying the monster and dropping Ghost 1's life points to 3200.

Sherry went next. "I activate the Speed Spell- Overboost! This increased my speed counters by four. Next I activate the Speed Spell- Speed Fusion to fuse Sacred Knight's Spearholder with Horse of the Floral Knights in order to fusion summon. Ride, Centaur Mina (Attack 2200/ Defense 1600)!" she declared. "Next I normal summon Fleur Synchron (Attack 400/ Defense 200). Now I tune Centaur Mina with Fleur Synchron to synchro summon. Bloom, Chevalier de Fleur (Attack 2700/ Defense 2300)! Chevalier de Fleur, attack the Ghost directly!" The attack hit dropping its life points to 500. "I end my turn."

Jayla drew her card to take her turn. "I send Quillbolt Hedgehog from my hand to the graveyard to special summon Quickdraw Synchron (Attack 700/ Defense 1400) in attack mode. Next I activate the effect of Quillbolt Hedgehog (Attack 800/ Defense 800) to summon itself from the graveyard. Since my opponents control synchro monsters and I don't, I can special summon Reed Butterfly (Attack 300/ Defense 600) from my hand in attack mode. Now I tune Reed Butterfly, Quillbolt Hedgehog with Quickdraw Synchron in order to synchro summon Road Warrior (Attack 3000/ Defense 1500)!" she declared. "Now I activate the effect the effect of Road Warrior to special summon Speed Warrior (Attack 900/ Defense 400) from my deck in attack position. Speed Warrior, attack the second Ghost directly!" The attack hit dropping it to 3100. "Road Warrior, attack the third Ghost directly!" The attack hit dropping the other bot to 1000 life points. "I set a face down and end my turn." Ghost 2 took its turn, drawing its card to begin it. Just then, Jayla called, "I activate my face down, Synchro Prominence to inflict 1000 points of damage to my opponent for each synchro monster on the field!" Ghost 1 and 3 were quickly taken out while Ghost 2 was left with 2100 life points.

"I summon Ally of Justice Tractor (Attack 0/ Defense 0)!" Ghost 2 declared. "I tribute Ally of Justice Tractor to add two Ally of Justice Cosmic Gateways from my deck to my hand. Next I special summon three Ally of Justice Cosmic Gateways (Attack 2400/ Defense 1200 for each) in attack mode since you have at least two monsters that include a light attributed monster. Ally of Justice Cosmic Gateway, attack Driven Daredevil!" The attack destroyed both monsters in a double knock out. "The last of them, attack Elsworth directly!"

"Elsworth!" Jayla called as the attacks hit and the man was sent out of control when he lost.

"I set a card to end my turn," Ghost 2 finished. Ghost 4 drew and Ghost 2 called, "I activate DNA Transplant! Now all monsters on the field become light attributed."

"I summon Ally Salvo (Attack 400/ Defense 300) in attack mode," Ghost 4 declared. "Ally Salvo, attack Chevalier de Fleur!"

"Chevalier!" Sherry called to defend.

Ghost 4's mode was destroyed, but the fourth Ghost grinned and called as his life points fell to 1700, "I activate Ally Salvo's effect! This destroys your Chevalier de Fleur and Speed Warrior!"

The duel went on and the rest of the Ghosts continued to summon Ally Salvos. They were quick to attack Sherry directly until she fell as well, leaving Jayla to deal with the Ghosts alone.

. . .

Yusei was flying through the sky when he noticed a familiar figure standing on a high building watching everything play out. He glared and silently landed behind the person.

"What do you think you're doing, Primo?" he asked catching the man's attention.

He turned to the god and his glare with an amused grin. "So you came to me. Are you willing to come back to us, then?" he asked.

"You will _never_ get anymore of my energy. I promise you that," Yusei retorted defensively. They both glared at each other; one with a devious smirk, one with a deadly serious face. Both waiting for the other to make their move.

. . .

The duel had continued and it wasn't good. Jayla's Road Warrior was destroyed and she only had 2400 life points left to battle the Ghost army. Things weren't looking up, but she forced myself to stay hopeful.

' _No matter what happens, I'll continue to hope for a better future for everyone, no matter if they are deity or mortal,'_ Jayla thought and took a deep breath. _'Don't worry. I'll finish this, and then I'll find you Yusei. And when I do, I'll slap you for running off again.'_

One of the Ghost called, "Ally Salvo, attack Jayla directly!" Her life points fell to 2000.

All other Ghosts began to attack her when a voice called, "Tech Genus Blade Blaster!" Vizor came in as the duel was canceled for the moment.

' _I'll have to thank him later,'_ Jayla thought.

"I summon Buster Blaster (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack position and activate its effect to equip itself onto Blade Blaster, decreasing its attack and defense by 500 (Tech Genus Blade Blaster: Attack 2800/ Defense 1700). Tech Genus Blade Blaster, attack one of the Ally Salvos!" The attack destroyed the monster and the second effect of Bust Blaster destroyed all of the other Ally Salvos as they were the same type as the destroyed Ally Salvo.

Vizor and Jayla quickly sped away from our opponents. "Vizor!" the Signer called recognizing him.

Vizor and her turned as they heard someone driving up. It wasn't a Ghost, she could tell that much. Whoever was coming, something told Jayla it wasn't going to be good.


	36. Accel's Strike

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 36: Accel's Strike

When the person came up, Jayla recognized him in an instant, "What're you doing here, Primo?"

"Jayla, I will be your next opponent," he answered making me glare.

"Where's Yusei?" she asked sternly.

"I ditched him to find you," he answered. "And it's good to see you've still got a fighting spirit. It'll make your defeat all the more satisfying."

Jayla glared even further while Vizor pushed Primo back. "Now, Jayla," my teammate ordered. "You must do the Accel Synchro."

"How?" she responded.

"The energy in one's duel runner is connected to their heart. To achieve Accel Synchro, you must have a clear mind," Vizor explained.

"Clear mind…" Jayla muttered. "That's what Yusei meant!"

 **-Flashback-**

"Yusei," Jayla called and he looked at her. "You're a god and you've seen my thread for this timeline. Do I ever get a hold of that Accel Synchro?"

"You do," he answered. "Not too far away from now, actually."

"How do I do it?" she asked.

"It's a part of your fate," he replied. "I can't tell you."

"Oh come on! We most likely _need_ that synchro for when we duel Team New World!" Crow exclaimed. "Can't you give her a hint or something?"

Yusei sighed. "All I can tell you is this: Keep a clear mind," he replied, his face down and eyes closed.

 **-Flashback Ended-**

' _That's what Yusei meant when he said to keep a clear mind. To do Accel Synchro, I have to have a clear mind,'_ Jayla thought. She took a slow deep breath and began to try to clear her mind of all worries and thoughts. But suddenly, the Meklord Emperors began to invade her thoughts. _'No, I can't think about them. If I complete Accel Synchro again, I'll be able to stop them. I know it,'_ she thought as things began to clear up. Slowly, the giant monsters to disappeared from her mind and it wasn't long before she couldn't hear anything but the wind.

. . .

Primo and Vizor watched as Jayla disappeared in a flash of light. _'She did it,'_ Vizor thought.

"I don't know what game you are playing or who you are," Primo called to Vizor. "But you are going down." He drew his card. "I summon Wise Core (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in defense mode and set a face down. That ends my turn."

"Since I control a monster and you control none, I can special summon Tech Genus Striker (Attack 800/ Defense 0) from my hand in attack mode," Vizor began. "Since I special summoned a level four or below monster, I can special summon Tech Genus Warwolf (Attack 1200/ Defense 0). Now I tune Tech Genus Warwolf with Tech Genus Striker in order to synchro summon Tech Genus Power Gladiator (Attack 2300/ Defense 1000)!" His monster came to the field, eyes ready to attack. "Tech Genus Power Gladiator, attack Wise Core!"

"I activate Twin Vortex! This destroys both Wise Core and Tech Genus Power Gladiator," Primo defended. And since Tech Genus Power Gladiator was destroyed, its final effect activated, allowing Vizor to draw one card. "And now since Wise Core was destroyed, its effect activated, allowing me to summon Meklord Emperor Wisel (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack mode, Wisel Top (Attack 500/ Defense 0) in attack mode, Wisel Attack (Attack 1200/ Defense 0) in attack mode, Wisel Guard (Attack 0/ Defense 1200) in defense mode, and Wisel Carrier (Attack 800/ Defense 600) in attack mode. And now due to the effect of Meklord Emperor Wisel, these monsters combine together and its attack becomes equal to the attack of every other Wisel monster I control (Meklord Emperor Wisel: Attack 2500/ Defense 0)."

"I set two cards to end my turn," Vizor finished.

Primo drew his card. "Meklord Emperor Wisel, attack Tech Genus Rush Rhino!" he ordered and the attack succeeded while Vizor's life points fell to 3100. The final effect of Tech Genus Rush Rhino activated allowing Vizor to added another Tech Genus Rush Rhino to his hand from his deck. "I set two cards and end my turn."

Vizor drew his card. "I summon Tech Genus Cyber Magician (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack position. Now I use its effect to tune the Tech Genus Rush Rhino in my hand to Tech Genus Cyber Magician in order to synchro summon Tech Genus Wonder Magician (Attack 1900/ Defense 0)!" he declared. "Next I activate my face down known as Double Type Rescue. This revives Tech Genus Power Gladiator (Attack 2300/ Defense 1000) in attack position since I control two types of monsters. After all, with Tech Genus Wonder Magician's effect, it is treated as both a spellcaster type and a machine type monster."

"I recognize you now," Primo said. "I had encountered you on a seaside highway before. At the time, you had since you were created for the purpose of defeating the three of us. But when I was about to hit a stray cat, you slammed my duel runner out of the way and lost control of your own and crashed into the ocean. I left you for dead, but this time…"

"I tune Tech Genus Power Gladiator with Tech Genus Wonder Magician to Accel-" Vizor stopped as the Ghost army surrounded him, making it so he couldn't accel synchro. "I end my turn."

Ghost 1 drew his first card. "I summon Ally Salvo (Attack 400/ Defense 300) in attack mode! Ally Salvo, attack Tech Genus Wonder Magician!" Tech Genus Wonder Magician destroyed Ally Salvo while dropping Ghost 1's life points to 2500. "Now the effect of Ally Salvo activated, destroying your Tech Genus Power Gladiator and your set card."

Jayla suddenly arrived and drove through all the Ghosts with a Shooting Star Dragon at his side who had 3300 attack points and 2500 defense. "Primo," she called. "I think I'm ready to face you."

"You are? Well, then, let's…" he was cut off as Lester and Jakob contact him.

"Primo, stop," Jakob ordered. "Jayla has been chosen to receive a powerful gift. You can see that yourself!"

"Yeah, you really don't want to fight him," Lester warned.

Ignoring his fellow Emperors, Primo turned to Yusei and said, "I will gladly take you on, Jayla."

"Go, Jayla. I'll dispose of the minions on my own," Vizor vowed.

Primo used his sword and unlocked a new mode on his duel runner. His duel runner transformed a bit and Primo merged with it. "I will gladly take you down," he stated and the duel began.

"First I activate the first effect of Shooting Star Dragon to reveal the top five cards of my deck. For each tuner monster I pick up, Shooting Star Dragon gains that many attacks," Yusei declared and he pulled his cards. I saw them and they were all tuners. "I pulled five tuners meaning Shooting Star Dragon can attack five times. So Shooting Star Dragon, attack Meklord Emperor Wisel!"

As the first attack went, Primo called, "I activate Skiel Carrier 5's effect to negate the attack!" The second one went. "I use the effect of Wisel Guard 3 to redirect the attack to itself and due to its effect, it's not destroyed."

"Shooting Star Dragon, attack Wisel Guard 3, Wisel Attack 3, and Skiel Carrier 5!" Yusei called. All three were destroyed and so were Primo's life points.

"My Meklord Emperor can't be defeated by any human!" Primo called out as he crashed. His duel runner went into pieces as his upper torso was ripped away from the machine.


	37. Possibilities of Concern

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 37: Possibilities of Concern

Primo crashed with his duel runner in pieces with Jayla stopping while Vizor disappeared. Yusei also landed beside her as Primo's upper torso is ripped away from the machine to reveal that he was an android.

As Jayla approached the unconscious Primo with Yusei sticking close by, something picked Primo, his sword, and his duel runner up. Yusei and Jayla looked up on top of the Infinity Tower and saw Jakob and Lester standing there with Primo coming to them and landing right next to them. Jack and Kaz came up followed by Crow, Leo, and Luna, and quickly behind them was Trudge and Mina.

"Welcome, it is nice to see you again," Jakob greeted.

"Can't say the same to you," Jack retorted.

Jakob chuckled. "I supposed the feelings wouldn't be as mutual," he stated. "Even though ours were quite sarcastic."

"Why are you here? Why would you sabotage the tournament?" Yusei asked.

"I see you've returned to your full strength. However, for your question, this situation in the tournament wasn't our doing completely. Primo had just gone a bit rogue. But don't worry about him," Jakob answered. "We're here to reform the world into a better age. History has created a bleak picture for the future and we will change it so the future will be as more a utopian society that it should be. You heard us say that, didn't you, Yusei?"

"Yusei, you know these guys?" Trudge asked.

"I'll… explain later," he replied and the officers quickly noticed how nervous the god was, being close to these men. Not that the others seemed a bit nervous as well.

"So you think by destroying this city you'll create a better world," Jack commented. "Millions of people will get hurt. Don't you consider it wrong to do this?"

"As the saying goes, you can make an omelet without breaking a few eggs," Jakob replied. "By using the energy made in the duelists of this tournament, the Circuit and Grand Design will be complete. And when that happens, the world will change. We will be participating in the WRGP. We will be the final element to recreating the world. And Yusei's energy is helping us as well." The group looked at Yusei who glared angrily.

Jayla returned to reality first and asked the men, "Who are you to say the world needs to be changed?"

"We are the three Emperors of Yliaster and we can see the changes the world needs by simply looking at the history of it," Jakob answered. "If you wish to stop us, you will have to face us in the World Racing Grand Prix. Now I believe it is time we take our leave. However, Yusei, Keeo, we expect you to be willing to come back. You know you can't hide from us forever." They then disappeared together.

"Don't worry, Yusei. They won't get you again," Jayla told him noticing his tense atmosphere around him. "They got enough energy last time. We all know that and we all know that we can't afford for them to get anymore."

"I'll be fine on my own. You don't have to worry about me any more than you already are," Yusei responded calmly. "In fact, you don't have to worry about me as much as you do. Besides, you're in enough danger as it is after saving me from that place."

"Wait, when were you captured? What energy are we talking about here?" Mina asked.

"Those men have taken Yusei like three times," Leo began. "Though one of those times, he unlocked his extra power that is ridiculously strong to keep him from going with them again."

"They've wanted him to show his Deity's Seal which would allow them to drain and take his deity energy," Luna followed and they went wide eyed. "They were able to do get his Deity's Seal the second time. They had drained a lot of his energy, and there was still a lot of it in there when we freed him and got his Seal back to him."

"Their final plan was to use my power and energy to destroy the world and recreate it as they saw fit," Yusei stated.

"What's this extra power Leo mentioned?" Trudge asked.

"It's called Archaic Energy," Yusei began. "It's the oldest and most powerful energy out there. It's strong enough to destroy and recreate an entire world with that energy alone. Only the eldest god has this energy. It's what with it all combined between the other deities with Archaic Energy and I used to create the universe itself. Mortals aren't meant to have this energy or a god's energy in general for a reason. If they have the right resources, they may be able to contain it. But if they try to use it themselves, they could revert the world back to its primal and original state that we had made when we first put life on this planet."

"So they're willing to risk destroying this world completely just to get a future they see fit?" Mina questioned.

"Pretty much," he answered. "If they get anymore of my energy, even whatever means they have of containing what they have no will not be able to stand anymore. If they get anymore, it will mean the end of everything."

"Why are they willing to go so far, then?" Luna asked.

"That's a question only they are capable of answering," Yusei replied. "We don't have much of a way to answer for that question."

"Those Yliaster punks…" Crow muttered angrily.

"Let's… just worry about this later," Yusei suggested. "We'll worry about it when the time comes. If needed, I'll use any power I can to stop the power from destroying this world."

"Which would end with what?" Jack asked. "Why do I get the feeling it would end with you dead?"

"The power it would take to stop all that energy from destroying Earth would kill me in the end," Yusei replied shocking and worrying them.

"But if you die, what happens to the balance of the universe?" Jayla asked.

"All that leftover power will create a new Deity for the wind and air, so the balance will stay stable," Yusei replied. "That's just about the only time a new deity is able to be formed from the destruction of a god or goddess."

"No, you can't do that!" Crow retorted. "It's not going to happen!"

"I can't guarantee anything, Crow," Yusei responded. "It may happen, we'll just have to accept that. And it's not an absolute fact that it will. But until that happens if it ever does, let's just focus on stopping the current darkness at the moment."

They slowly nodded still seeming worried and Mina stated, "They're going to hold off the tournament for about a week to allow everything to get fixed and injured duelists can recuperate. Though it may be longer if road fixes take a bit longer or duelists are injured worse than we know at the moment."

"Sounds good to me," Jayla agreed. They all nodded before taking off to go do their own things.


	38. Time Hopping

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 38: Time Hopping

 _Jayla stood as if she was a ghost. Transparent to the eyes but she could feel the heat of the surrounding fire and sweat dripped down her face. She watched her surroundings go up in flames by attacking dragons. And at the center of the attacks, a figure jumped across the rooftops dodging attack after attack. One barely missed him before he jumped through a building window._

 _He fell out of the smoke and landed on the ground. It was a boy seeming to be in an old Duel Academy uniform. "Those were some close calls," he said. He noticed Rainbow Dragon flying over and its mouth filled with power to attack. "Uh oh, and I have a feeling they're about to get closer."_

 _It shot the attack at Jaden who placed Neos on his duel disk. Neos became real and blocked the attack with his arms crossed like Jaden's, much to Jayla's shock. He glared at the masked man standing on a roof behind the dragons._

" _Jaden Yuki, the duelist who they say can speak with the spirits," the man said._

" _I see my reputation precedes me," Jaden responded._

 _Jayla noticed aspirit show himself next to Jaden. "So he's the one behind all of this destruction," the spirit commented._

" _I'd say so, Baron, and it's pretty impressive too. I mean, wow. Bringing all of these duel monsters to real life?" Jaden responded._

 _Another spirit that Jayla recognized as a rare card called Yubel then showed herself. "Don't get too excited. He is trying to destroy you with them after all," she said._

" _Jaden, I've finished what I came here to do," the masked man said._

" _Say what?" Jaden retorted._

" _Say goodbye. Because I plan on finishing you off as well," the man said._

 _The man pulled out a card that lit up. A tower of light landed in front of Jayla and Jaden. "Uh oh, whatever's coming I doubt it's good," Jaden said._

 _It shocked Jayla as her Stardust Dragon took to the field. "Stardust Dragon?!" Era exclaimed._

" _Farewell, Jaden!" the man exclaimed._

. . .

I bolted to a sit-up position. I felt cold sweat dripping down my face. _'What… was that?'_ I thought. _'Who was that guy? Why did he have Stardust Dragon? And why was he attacking that boy?'_

"You doing okay?" came Yusei's voice.

Jayla turned to see him sitting on the window sill. She had forgotten she went to sleep on the couch that night after working up a bit late.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied.

"More bad dreams?" he questioned.

"Yeah, they're usually the same about the Zero Reverse incident," Jayla began looking down.

"But this one was different," Yusei replied. "It was about a masked man attacking a boy by the name of Jaden Yuki."

"Okay, how did you know that?" she asked.

"Jack and Crow asked me to see what you were dreaming the passed two nights to let me try to help," Yusei explained.

"And you actually agreed to that? Aren't dreams like personal?" Jayla retorted.

"It's different for a god, Jayla. For us, if we're asleep, dreams from mortals that we're close to will invade our own," Yusei replied shocking her. "Even if I hadn't purposely done so, I would've still seen your dreams. Along with a mix of the twins, Akiza, Jack, and Crow."

"Do you like that ability?" Jayla asked getting up.

"Sometimes it's a good thing to have," Yusei replied. "Like now. But other times, you want to shut it down. Which is pretty much all the time except recently."

"I guess I understand then," Jayla responded. "I'm heading to the Overlook. Want to come?"

Yusei shrugged. "Why not?" he replied and they took off silently.

When they arrived at the Overlook and leaned on the railing, it was silent for a few minutes. After a bit, though, Jayla slowly asked, "Yusei, do you know anything about that Masked Man? Like who he was or how he got my Stardust Dragon?"

"I honestly don't," Yusei replied. "I've studied just about every thread in the Room of Threads, and I've never come across a thread that is attached to him. Not even a remote similarity in past or present."

"Then how can he exist?" Jayla asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "The only logical answer would be he is from the future from another timeline or from a future the gods haven't seen yet. Either way, though, it isn't good."

They heard duel runners pull up but didn't pay give them any attention at the moment.

"I'm sure we'll figure it out," Jayla responded, though she was also trying to reassure herself. "I know neither of us will let that happen."

"You still having bad dreams, Jayla?" Crow asked as he and Jack walked up behind us.

They turned to the two other men. "If only they were just dreams," she replied.

"But it was so long ago and New Domino's rebuilt itself since your father's research was compromised," Crow retorted.

"Right. You need to stop trying to change things that can't be changed. The past is past, and you need to let it go and embrace the future," Jack said.

"It's true. And you know, if I agree with Jack, I must really mean it," Crow agreed.

"I know what'll make you feel better," Jack said. He tossed Jayla her helmet.

"Come on, guys. Let's ride," Crow said.

"Alright," Jayla said with a grin. Yusei nodded with a small grin himself. He took to the air while the others got on their runners and drove off. As they drove, Yusei heard it. The scraping of metal on concrete. Yusei looked behind them followed by Jayla.

"I've never seen that duel runner before," Jack commented as the duel runner came into view behind them.

"Or the duelist that's driving it," Crow added.

The unknown rider flashed his lights signaling a challenge. "I don't believe it. He's challenging us to a duel," Jack said.

"If it's a duel he wants, it's a duel he'll get," Jayla said.

"Just don't use Stardust Dragon," Yusei reminded her.

"Why not, Yusei?" Crow asked.

"He wants Jayla's Stardust Dragon," he answered.

"How you know that is uncertain to me. But we'll see how good she is without that dragon," the man said with a laugh.

"I'm not going to let you take my dragon," Jayla told the masked man. "So don't bother trying."

"We'll see about that," the man said.

" _Duel Mode engaged,"_ said the voice as the duel began.

 **(A/N: Since the movie (or show bit or whatever you want to call it) doesn't show most of the duel, I'll skip to the end like it.)**

An explosion knocked dust around as Jayla made an attack. She had Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500) in defense mode and Nitro Warrior (Attack 2800/ Defense 1800) in attack mode. She also had two face downs as well, and her life points stood at 1800.

The masked man had no monsters and two face downs himself. His life points stood at 2400.

"Why don't you bring out that Stardust Dragon? I know you want to," the masked man taunted.

"Because I'm not going to let you take it," Jayla retorted. "Now I think I'll finish this by attacking you with Nitro Warrior!" The man laughed.

"Why is he laughing?" Crow asked worried.

"I think we're about to find out," Yusei replied.

"I activate the trap Negate for Reward! This card negates your attack and allows me to pick a monster from your extra deck and summon it to the field," the man explained.

"What?!" Jayla exclaimed. The man laughed. "I activate Trap Jammer! This negates your trap and destroys it."

"Nope, in addition to its effect, it also negates the activation of all trap and spell cards," the masked man informed. "And I think I'll summon your Stardust Dragon!"

The man laughed as Stardust Dragon was forced to the field. It looked at Jayla and Yusei with begging eyes. The man brought out a blank card.

"What's the blank card for?" Jayla wondered.

It shot out a stream of four sided, card shaped light. Suddenly a sphere of torrential wind surrounded Stardust Dragon, creating a shield. The attack quickly hit the wind shield and pressed on against it. "What's this?!" the masked man exclaimed.

"Yusei!" Jayla called. "Yusei, be careful! You even told us that it will take a month or two before all that energy you lost is regained."

"I know, Jayla," he responded. And it was true. It was taking a lot of his power and energy to fight this force trying to nab Stardust, and he didn't want to use his Archaic Energy at the moment. Not with an enemy like this Masked Man watching.

But the shield began to bend and give in to the force of the card due to his low low energy.

"Jack, what's going on?" Crow asked his friend.

"I don't know," he replied.

Jayla's dragon began to beat its wings against the card pushing it back further. The man growled and his head shot forward. The card seemed to gain power and it became too much for Stardust Dragon and Yusei. The shield collapsed and Stardust Dragon was engulfed in a sphere made of thousands of cards.

"Stardust!" Jayla called.

The sphere glowed, swallowing her dragon before the sphere drained back into the blank card. Once it was completely in the card, it became a darker colored version of Stardust Dragon.

"What did…?! Stardust Dragon it's…!" Jack stuttered shocked.

"It's gone! It's stolen!" Crow exclaimed.

"But how?" Jayla asked.

"A great many things are possible," the man called to Jayla as he drove up beside her. "And now that I have the mighty Stardust Dragon, the demise of this era and time is one of those things."

"Who are you?" Yusei demanded angrily flying up. The man laughed. He drove off faster than possible before disappearing in a flash of light.

Jayla pulled to a stop and the others followed with Yusei landing on the ground. "Stardust…" she trailed off sadly looking at her now empty card.

"Okay, let's head back to the garage. We need to talk about what just happened," Jack said.

Yusei looked down sadly. _'I couldn't protect it. I'm sorry, Jayla, Stardust,'_ he thought. He then followed his Signer friends as they headed back to the garage.

. . .

Crow, Yusei, Jack, and Jayla stood in the garage. "Will someone tell me what just happened?" Jack asked.

"I would but I don't know myself," Crow responded.

"I still can't believe he took Stardust," Jayla commented.

"The way he did so doesn't add up, either," Yusei added.

"Hey, guys," came Akiza's voice. They looked up and saw her, Leo, and Luna entering.

"No offense, guys, but this really isn't the best time for a social call," Jack said.

"Who ever said this was social, Jack? We happen to be here on business," Leo retorted.

"Business? What's up?" Yusei asked.

"Leo and I were searching duel monsters history when we found this," Luna said handing Jayla a handle. He pressed a button and it showed an article of Yugi, his grandfather, and Maximillion Pegasus.

"Hey, I recognize that guy," Crow said.

"I should hope so. That's Maximillion Pegasus the chairman of Industrial Illusions," Jack responded. "He's the creator of duel monsters."

"And look who's next to him," Crow said.

"Yugi Muto, the King of Games himself. They say he's the best duelist to have ever picked up a deck," Jayla said.

"Doesn't look so tough to me. But how could you with that dated haircut? But I admit, he's a dueling legend. What I would give to see Yugi duel back in his day," Jack said. "I'm sure you were able to, Yusei, at least from the Divine Realm." The god merely shrugged.

"This is what you wanted to show us?" Jayla asked the twins.

Yusei was silent. He didn't like this feeling he was getting. Something bad was happening at the moment, and he wanted to know what.

"No scroll over to the next page," Akiza said.

Jayla did so and everyone gasped. "Wait, Stardust Dragon?!" she exclaimed.

"But that card didn't exist back then," Jack said.

"Exactly our point," Leo said.

Crow turned back to the article. "The article says that these dragons appeared one day and blasted all of Europe," Crow read.

"But I don't remember hearing about this. And this is a major historical event," I said.

"That's just it. This is new history. Somehow the past has changed," Akiza said.

"Wait," Jayla called. He tapped the screen. The masked duelist stood in the background tall and confident. "It's that duelist from before. The one who took Stardust Dragon." She turned to Yusei.

A crumbling sound was heard from outside taking their attention. They looked out the window. Black ash slowly fell from the sky like snow.

"What's going on outside?" Akiza asked.

They ran out, Yusei reaching outside first since he phased through the window. "Oh no," the god stated grimly.

"I don't like the looks of this, guys," Jack commented bluntly as we saw the building slowly crumble and vanish.

"Leo, what's happening?" Luna asked scared.

"Our city's vanishing," Leo answered.

"But why?" Akiza asked.

"Maybe I've seen one too many movies, but whenever something changes in the past, doesn't it also somehow change the future?" Jack guessed.

"Yeah, so?" Crow replied.

"If the past has changed that would mean that…" Jayla trailed off.

"The masked man was telling the truth. Our era, our period in time is meeting its end," Yusei finished. The others looked at him.

Everyone's mark then lit up bright. The Signers' marks transferred to Jayla imprinting the Mark of the Crimson Dragon on her back.

"It's the Mark of the Crimson Dragon," Akiza said looking at the mark.

"And Jayla's powers are surging through his duel runner too," Leo commented as they saw a glow around her runner. She felt a presence calling to her and saw the Crimson Dragon next to Jayla's runner. The others were quick to notice as well.

" _Jayla, Futen, you must hurry!"_ he told them telepathically. They nodded.

Jayla got on her duel runner while Yusei took to the air.

"What're you doing?" Akiza asked.

"I'm not sure but we need to go somewhere," Jayla answered.

As they either drove or flew, the Crimson Dragon appeared before the two of them.

"I don't know where you're taking us but if it's somewhere that'll give us a chance to stop this, lead the way," Jayla told the fiery dragon. He roared and Yusei and Jayla entered a tunnel of light before disappearing.


	39. Allies of Every Time

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 39: Allies of Every Time

"That's some dragon. Know where I could score one?" Jaden asked.

"Jaden Yuki, calm, cool, and collected to the very end. Now perish!" the masked man said. Stardust Dragon fought to try to stop itself. "Destroy him!" the man ordered.

The dragon roared as its mind was overrun by the man's power. It fired at Jaden and Neos. It hit Neos nearly destroying the duel monster.

"Neos!" Jaden called. The leftover attack hit him and he was sent into a pile of crumbled debris.

"Now finish him!" the man commanded.

Stardust Dragon reluctantly did so. Just as it was about to hit, the Crimson Dragon stopped the attack. From the flames of the dragon came Yusei and Jayla.

Jayla looked up. "My Stardust Dragon!" she exclaimed.

"Yusei and Jayla. How you two followed me back in time I do not know. What I do know is it that it means nothing for you and Jaden. If you don't perish by my hand, the hands of time will do you in," the man said.

"Hands of what?" Jaden asked. The man laughed turning around.

"Wait, stop!" Yusei called.

The masked man drove off and disappeared in a flash of light. Jayla, Jaden, and Yusei stared at the spot where he disappeared for a moment. Eventually though, Yusei walked over to Jaden and helped him to his feet. Jayla got up to the roof from the pile of debris. Jaden sat down to the right of Yusei and Jayla.

"You took quite the hit there. Are you okay?" Yusei asked.

"I'm all good. Just a few scratches," Jaden replied.

"You're a tough kid. So you're Jaden?" Yusei asked.

"Yeah, you heard of me?" Jaden asked. "That man called you Yusei and Jayla, right?" They nodded.

" _He is a god, Jaden,"_ Baron told him and he and Yubel appeared beside him. _"And Jayla is from another time."_

"A god? Another time? Quit messing with me, you guys. Besides, how would you guys know?" Jaden asked the two spirits.

" _We know because like you, they have a gift,"_ Yubel said.

" _A gift that connects them to the world of duel monster spirits,"_ Baron continued.

"They mean our marks," Jayla explained to the slightly confused Jaden.

Jaden looked at her and Yusei and saw the marks on their arms that they were revealing, Yusei showing a swirl mark on his right forearm surrounded by a writing that seemed like ancient Japanese that Jaden just couldn't read. "Well looks like we have something new in common, don't we?" Jaden asked.

"Yes, Jaden. Now tell us how this got started with you and the masked man," Yusei said.

"Some classmates of mine kept reporting their duel monsters cards were getting snatched. I went looking for the thief and found you know who," Jaden explained.

"Listen Jaden, I know we just met but believe me when I say we need to stop this man. Because if we don't life as you know it…" Jayla began but Yusei quickly finished it.

"Won't be as you know it. Our time, your time, it will all change. And it's a change that isn't for the better," he said.

"Wait, are you saying you want me to team up with you two to take this dude down?" Jaden asked excitedly pulling a fist in front of his face.

"Yes, Jaden," Jayla answered with a grin.

"Alright. But how are we going to take him down? I mean, the dude split," Jaden asked.

"I'm guessing he moved back in time. To the time where he makes his big move and changes history and alters the future forever," Yusei informed.

"Whoa, whoa. What do you mean 'changes history and alters the future'?" Jaden asked. He pulled out a laptop from his bag. "History hasn't changed. Here, I'll show ya. Let me check out the Domino City database and pull up a newspaper article that'll prove to you that history has…" He paused. "Completely changed!" They gasped as they read the article:

The title line: "TRAGEDY AT THE TOURNAMENT! PEGASUS MISSING!" and underneath that was: "Is Duel Monsters Over?"

"And not for the better. Why is this guy doing all of this?" Jaden asked.

"I don't know, but he's doing it as we speak," Yusei stated.

"Well, as long as I have Neos…" Jaden started but when he pulled out his card, the picture vanished. "Neos is gone!"

They looked around hearing crumbling noises. A tower fell in front of them, luckily not hitting the duel runner.

"And it's happening here too. Your era and time is crumbling away. First your duel monsters cards, now everything else," Jayla commented calmly but alert.

"What do we do now, guys?" Jaden asked.

"Now we move," Yusei said.

"Where?" Jaden asked.

Jayla and Jaden got on Jayla's runner and Yusei took to flight again. They went off with the Crimson Dragon taking them to the past. And Yusei had a feeling he knew exactly when.

. . .

Yugi and his grandfather, Solomon Muto, stood at the Domino City Duel Tournament. Looking around at all the excited duelists.

"This certainly is a good turn out," Solomon said.

"And it's no wonder why. The rumor is Pegasus himself will be here today," Yugi said.

The sound of a helicopter could be heard and everyone looked up. The helicopter landed and Pegasus stepped out.

"Greetings, everyone. It's wonderful to see you all but probably not nearly as wonderful for you to see me. So please, enjoy my splendor," Pegasus said. People cheered loud.

On top of a building, the masked man stood. He growled, "And enjoy your last moments, _Pegasus_." His final name was filled with venomous hate that could kill him if it were possible.

The three dragons flew over top the buildings as the clock hit noon. "Dragons!" people called out in amazement.

"Boy, my laser eye surgery sure makes those duel monsters holograms look real," Solomon said.

As the dragons hit the buildings and they crumbled away, Yugi said, "I don't think those are holograms, Grandpa."

"Move it," a man said as he push Yugi and Solomon in separate directions.

"Yugi!" Solomon called.

"Grandpa!" Yugi responded as he tried to push his way back from the running crowd.

"It's my worst fear. I've been upstaged," Pegasus said. He heard the crash of the building behind him. "Oh, no, the building," he cried as it landed on top of him.

As the minutes to hours passed by, Yugi woke up among the ruins. He looked around to find he was the only survivor. He noticed his grandfather's bandana and ran to it to pick it up before he screamed his name in sadness.

He heard a laugh from above and looked at the top of a building. "At last, my work in complete! It took some doing but history is now forever changed. Changed so that duel monsters is no more!" the man exclaimed.

Yugi looked at him confused. Suddenly, a light caught his eye. He looked at it and just as he did, a red, fiery dragon slipped out of the light and enveloped the frightened Yugi.

The Crimson Dragon flew above a roof top. Yugi was thrown out and Jayla and Jaden skidded to a stop on his runner while Yusei landed. Yugi rubbed the back of his neck that had hit the corner of a concrete molding.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jayla asked running up to him followed by Jaden and Jaden.

He back away but Yusei said, "It's okay, Yugi. You're safe now."

"Where am I? Is my grandpa okay? Where's Pegasus?" Yugi asked. He looked and noticed everyone standing below them as if nothing had happened. "Wait, was that all just a dream?"

"I'm afraid not," Yusei replied.

"Here's the deal, bro, it's not where you are but when," Jaden said.

Yusei closed his eyes looking at the power around his. Every person had a small bit of power glowing inside them. Some that were the brightest he knew would someday have children who would grow into powerful duelists. Perhaps even as powerful as a psychic.

"We've taken you back in time. Back to just before those dragons blasted this place," Yusei informed opening his eyes and looking at Yugi once again.

Jaden looked at his card. "Look, Neos is back!" he exclaimed.

"Who are you guys?" Yugi asked in confusion and shock.

"My name's Yusei Fudo," Yusei introduced.

"I'm Jayla Sito," she followed calmly with her kind voice still in there.

"And I'm Jaden Yuki," Jaden responded with a happy, confident tone.

"Yusei, Jayla, and Jaden. I'm Yugi Muto," he introduced.

"Oh, there's no need to tell us who you are. We know," Jayla said.

"You do? How's that?" Yugi asked.

"Cause we're from the future. It's no big whoop," Jaden replied calmly.

"What?" Yugi responded.

"Okay, I guess it's kind of a big whoop. Bottom line though, we're here to save the world," Jaden said.

"That masked man you saw… he has to be stopped. Like you, we've seen what happens if he's not," Yusei said.

"This guy looks like he's made it his mission in life to take down Pegasus," Jaden said.

"But why?" Yugi asked.

"We don't know that just yet but if he takes down Pegasus, the duel monsters world he created…" Jayla trailed off.

"It goes with him. Along with everything that sprang from it. Schools, cities, people, you name it," Jaden finished.

Yugi looked down and muttered, "Oh man."

"But it doesn't have to be that way," Jaden said. "That's why we're here."

"If we work together, we might be able to stop this maniac," Jayla said. "Will you help us?"

Yugi's head sprung up and looked at each of them while he stood up followed by the rest of them. "That guy hurt my grandpa and it also sounds like he's trying to hurt the game I love. So I'm more than willing to help you in any way that I can," Yugi agreed.

"Glad to have you on our side," Yusei commented.

"Try ecstatic! We've got the King of Games in our corner! Now let's do this," Jaden exclaimed.

Yusei looked down at the people below and thought, _'I hope we'll be able to beat him. Because if we don't…'_ He let his thoughts trail off and he slowly followed the three others duelists.


	40. Battle for Time

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 40: Battle for Time

They hurried down the staircase and Jaden had Yubel fire a shot at the stage. Every person ran away in fear. "That's right. Just keep running and don't look back!" Jaden yelled with a laugh.

"I hope this scares away Pegasus so he won't be crush by that building," Yugi said.

"Right," Jayla agreed.

"Then he and the future of duel monsters are safe," Yusei said. Jaden laughed excited while punching the air partly.

"I think not!" yelled a voice.

Yusei looked back with the others and saw a portal open long enough for the masked duelist to popped out and land in front of them.

"You listen here! We know what you're up to and we're not going to let it happen, got it? So why don't you make it easier on yourself and go back to wherever it is you came from?" Yugi suggested defiantly.

"Where I come from is why I'm here," the man said. "Perhaps it's time we got acquainted." He removed his mask. "The name is Paradox."

"Paradox?" Yusei repeated.

"I doubt you've heard of me. In fact, I very much certain that you haven't," Paradox replied. "After all, I don't come from any of your eras of time. I come from the future."

"What does that mean?" Jayla asked.

"Forget him. He's just trying to get in your head," Jaden said.

"Paradox, we don't care about your backstory, we just care about keeping the world safe," Yugi told him.

"Is that so?" he asked and chuckled slightly. "No one thought to keep me safe. Or those I loved. And now I will finally have my revenge. I will rid the world of what caused all my pain and suffering. That is why I am here. Because I've realized something about this game you love so. This Duel Monsters. The world would be a far better place without it. The monsters, the spells, what good has come from it? True, you've all saved the world many times of it with your precious cards. But against adversaries using the same cards to destroy it," Paradox said.

"Like you?" Jayla retorted. He scoffed.

"So that's why you're here? To rid the world of duel monsters?" Yusei asked.

"That is correct, once and for all," Paradox answered.

"Not on our watch," Yusei responded.

"You senseless dolts! Don't you see? Instead of going against me, you four should be trying your best to help me! I told you, the world I come from is the reason why I am here. Where I come from is a doomed future," he responded.

Jayla gave a small gasp. "No, our future is a bright one," she said disbelievingly and slightly distraught.

"It is not. It is a desolate place. So desolate I could no longer bear to see it through my own eyes. I took to wearing a mask. And it was through this filter that I began to see why things had ended this way. And the answer was Duel Monsters. So what better way to destroy this virus than by travelling back to the beginning and not letting it spread?" Paradox said. "Time travel is no easy feat. But where there is a will, there is a way. And there _was_ a will."

Yusei fist squeezed tight in frustration. "But don't you realize? You're not just wiping out duel monsters, but people too! You're destroying everything and everyone ever touched by the game," he growled.

"Of course I realize that, Yusei. As a matter of fact, that's what I'm looking forward to the most," Paradox responded.

"You are one sick puppy," Jaden retorted.

"Maybe the game's not perfect but it has created more good things than bad," Yugi continued.

"And another thing, the future isn't written yet. There is still time for things to change," Jayla added. Yusei nodded.

"Well then, since you feel so strongly about that, it seems we to have a difference of opinion. And since I doubt any more words will settle our impasse, perhaps we can seek settle it another way," Paradox responded.

"If you're saying you want a duel, bring it on Paradox," Jayla said.

"Fine then. I find it fitting to destroy you with the very cards you're trying to save," Paradox said. He pressed a button on his duel runner and it morphed into a somewhat plane like vehicle and hovered high in the air.

"Paradox, get ready to get your game on!" Jaden exclaimed with his eyes changing into two separate colors like Yubel's.

"Everything has light and pure soul in it. And I won't let you destroy everyone's souls," Yusei called as a duel disk and deck appeared on him.

"You're twisted time crusade ends here. Let's rev it up," Jayla said. She brought her hand high into the air. Her Mark of the Dragon Head lit up and the Crimson Dragon appeared behind her her, roaring slightly in pride.

" _Yugi, out of all of our duels this may be the toughest,"_ said Yugi's other spirit and friend known as Yami.

"Then let's rise to the challenge," Yugi responded.

He then used the Millennium Puzzle to change his mind and spirit with Yami and allowed Yami to control the duel. "I just have one thing to say to you Paradox, it's time to duel!" Yami yelled.

They activated their duel disks. Yusei, Jayla, Jaden, and Yami shared a total of 4000 life points and Paradox had his own 4000.

"I'll go first," Paradox declared. "And I think I start by summoning the field spell, Malefic World." Their entire surroundings turned into a violet colored space.

"What just happened?" Yusei asked as the he, Jayla, Yami, and Jaden looked around.

"Malefic World," Paradox answered. "And I think I'll use the effect of Malefic World. By skipping the draw phase of my turn, I can add a random malefic monster from my deck directly to my hand. Next, I'll send Cyber End Dragon from my extra deck to the graveyard so that Malefic Cyber End Dragon (Attack 4000/ Defense 2800) now appears!" A dragon similar looking to the original Cyber End Dragon took to the field but on its face, back, and wings was black and white plating.

"Does anyone know what this Malefic thing is all about?" Jayla asked.

"It's not some 'thing', it's the type of deck I use. A type from the future. One of the many advantages of time travel," Paradox replied.

"Jaden, did you see how he brought out a Malefic version of that dragon?" Jayla asked.

"Uh-huh, just by sending the real version of Cyber End to the graveyard. That's all it took," Jaden said.

"So in other words, by getting rid of its good version, he can give life to its bad. It seems Paradox only sees the dark side of duel monsters," Yami said.

Yusei nodded. "Yeah, and I have a feeling this is only going to get harder," he commented. They glanced at him a bit worried.

"Yes, and I'll destroy you all with them. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I end my turn with one face down," Paradox intervened.

"Listen Jaden, Yusei, Yugi, most of us may have all just met and may not know each other's duel styles and strategies. But right now, we need to fight as one. All our skills, all our past experiences, let's use them. Let's put them together for this one common cause," Jayla gave her mini speech.

Yusei, Yami, and Jaden nodded at each other. "Agreed, Jayla. And I think you should be the one to start us off," Yami said.

"Right," Jayla agreed. "Here we go!" She pulled a card. "First, from my hand I play the spell card Reincarnation of Hope. By sending two monsters to the graveyard down now, we can draw a monster card later."

"Fool! Don't you realize there won't be a later for you or your friends?" Paradox growled.

"Well for now, I'm summoning Junk Synchron," Jayla declared. "And because I was able to summon him, I can summon a level two or below monster straight from the graveyard. Sonic Chick, fan your feathers in defense mode. And now my Quillbolt Hedgehog's ability activates. Since there is a tuner monster on my side of the field, I can summon my hedgehog straight to the field. But he won't be staying around for long. Nor are any of my other monsters, at least not in their present form. Because I'm tuning them all together. Just as Yusei, Yugi, Jaden, and I are combining our might, these three have now combined theirs. I summon forth the synchro monster, Junk Gardna (Attack 1400/ Defense 2600)!" Out of the pillar of light typically created from a synchro summon, Junk Gardna slammed to the ground in defense position.

"Synchro what?" Yami asked shocked.

"Don't know but I like it. Too cool!" Jaden exclaimed giving Jayla a thumbs up.

"I place two cards face down and end my turn," Yusei finished.

"How truly pathetic. If that's the best you can do, you all might as well give up here and now. Your decks are no match for mine. Not as long as I have Jayla's Stardust Dragon," Paradox told them. Yusei and Jayla glared at him. "It's my move. Now I'll show your beast a true might. Next I'll send Rainbow Dragon from the extra deck to graveyard. Which as you saw before means, Malefic Rainbow Dragon (Attack 4000/ Defense 0) now appears!" Paradox declared and the dragon came to the field in a similar situation in difference as Cyber End Dragon.

"Hey! Leave my pal's card out of this!" Jaden demanded angrily.

"Why do you think I was time hopping in the first place? I was collecting the cards needed to take down Pegasus. Until that time comes, I'll use them… to destroy the three of you! Malefic Rainbow Dragon, attack! Spectral Surge!" Paradox ordered.

"I activate Junk Gardna's ability. With it, your dragon is about to be switched into defense mode," Jayla declared.

"You stopped one of my dragons, yes. But as you recall, I have two out! Malefic Cyber End Dragon, attack!" Paradox retorted.

The blast destroyed Junk Gardna and Jayla was thrown back by the damage made real with their life points dropping to 2600.

"Jayla!" Yusei called.

"Are you alright?" Yami asked.

"Say something, pal," Jaden called.

Jayla sat up. "I'm alright," she said.

"Well you won't be when your life points run out because in a malefic duel, you don't just lose the match, you lose your soul," Paradox informed. Yami, Jaden, and Yusei glared at Paradox.

Jayla stood up and countered saying, "I activate Junk Gardna's second ability. When it's destroyed, it switches one of your monsters into defense mode. And then I activate Miracle's Wake! This revives the monster that was just destroyed." Junk Gardna returned in his respective defense position. "Sorry, guys, I lost us some points there."

"Don't apologize, Jayla," Yami said.

"Right," Yusei agreed.

"You just fended off two super tough monsters. Way to go!" Jaden praised.

"Thanks guys, I did my best," she responded.

"Against a deck stacked with the best cards throughout all of time, that's all we can do. And that's what we have to keep doing to win this duel," Yami responded.

Yusei nodded. "Yami's right," he agreed.

Yami looked at him. _"I'm not sure if this Yusei is who he says he really is,"_ he told Yugi who was in his spirit form.

" _I know. There's something mysterious about him. I'm betting Jayla knows, but I'm also guessing it's a dangerous secret for everyone to know,"_ Yugi responded before Yami returned his attention to Paradox and the duel.

"In my time travels, I've listened in on some of your pep talks. But that, by far, was your most pathetic. I place a card face down and end my turn," Paradox chimed in.

"Then it's my turn to take a crack at ya," Jaden said drawing his card. "Jayla, mind if I piggyback off your play?" he asked. She nodded, silently saying to go ahead. "Alright then, I activate Polymerization! And I'll fuse Junk Gardna with my Elemental HERO Neos that is in my hand. This is a first: two different monster from different times becoming one. Here comes the best from both worlds. Come to battle, Elemental HERO Neos Knight (Attack 2500/ Defense 1000)! And due to his ability, he gains a power boost equal to half of Junk Gardna's attack points (Elemental HERO Neos Knight: Attack 3200). Now Neos Knight will attack that Malefic Rainbow Dragon!" Neos Knight attacked and successfully destroyed Paradox's malefic version of Rainbow Dragon. "Oh, and Neos Knight's ability allows him two attacks in this one battle!" Jaden declared.

"Two attacks?!" Paradox exclaimed as Neos Knight destroyed Malefic Cyber End Dragon in an explosion.

"You're not so tough," Jaden stated.

" _Well done, Jaden. I've heard of knights slaying dragons before but not two at once,"_ Yubel told him. Jaden gave a small laugh.

"Let's see if you're laughing when I activate Malefic Tune! This allows me to draw two cards from my deck," Paradox retorted.

"Jaden you have to tell me, where did you learn to duel with such heart and passion?" Yami asked.

"A little place called Duel Academy. And believe it or not, I usually skip class," Jaden replied.

"Well, if I were your teacher, I would certainly give you an A on that last move," Yami responded.

"You better not be putting yourself down, Jayla," Yusei called and she looked at him. "Just keep your mind on the game and don't put yourself down too much. We can do this." She nodded. "Jaden, do what you do best."

"Right! I set four cards face down and end my turn," Jaden said.

"Then it's my turn. And I think I'll use the effect Malefic World to add a random malefic monster from my deck to my hand. Next by sending Stardust Dragon from my extra deck to the graveyard, I can summon Malefic Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)!" Paradox declared.

Stardust Dragon took to the field but its appearance was changed by the malefic force in Paradox's possession. Stardust's face and eyes were covered by a black and white, metal mask. Its wings were covered in similar armor and its chest held plating of similar colors.

"My Stardust! Paradox, you snake, what have you done to it?" Jayla asked angrily.

"I simply introduced it to the power of the shadows and there's more to come," he replied.

"Paradox," Yusei growled.

"Well, back to the duel. I summon Malefic Parallel Gear (Attack 0/ Defense 0)," Paradox declared. "Next I'll tune Malefic Parallel Gear and _my_ Malefic Stardust Dragon." Jayla growled hearing this.

"What?!" Yusei exclaimed.

"You and Jayla are not the only ones who can synchro summon, Yusei," Paradox replied. "I synchro summon, Paradox Dragon (Attack 4000/ Defense 4000)!"

"Not good," Jaden muttered.

"That's right, Jaden. And since Paradox Dragon was summoned I can summon Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000) to the field in attack mode," Paradox said.

"Two dragons again?" Jayla muttered.

"Yes, Jayla. Because due to Paradox Dragon's effect, every monster you control will lose attack equal to every synchro monster I control. So, Neos Knight, power down (Elemental HERO Neos Knight: Attack 400)!" Paradox stated. "Paradox Dragon, attack Neos Knight!"

"I play, Hero Barrier. This negates your attack as long as there is an Elemental HERO on my field," Jaden declared.

"I activate Malefic Claw Stream. Since I have a malefic synchro monster out, I can destroy one of your monsters," Paradox said and destroyed Neos Knight.

"I'll see your trap and raise it with one of my own. Elemental Mirage! This returns Neos Knight (Attack 2500/ Defense 1000) back from the graveyard," Jaden declared.

"A perfect counter," Yami praised.

"Aw, I just figured it would be rude of me to leave you without a monster," Jaden responded.

"Thanks and you can count on me to put Neos Knight to good use," Yami told Jaden.

"I'm sorry, Yugi, but your best won't even be good enough here. After all, Neos Knight is still subject to Paradox Dragon's effect," Paradox reminded them (Elemental HERO Neos Knight: Attack 0). "I end my turn with two face downs."

"It's my move. So get ready!" Yami exclaimed glaring at Paradox.

"Let's see what you've got, King of Games," Paradox taunted.

"Yugi, my cards are your cards," Jayla told him.

"Well, in that case, I'll use Reincarnation of Hope's effect to add a monster card to my hand. And the monster I choose is Dark Magician," Yugi declared.

"Like I didn't see that coming," Paradox said.

"Next, I activate Ancient Rules which allows me to summon Dark Magician," Yami declared. Yusei, Jayla, and Jaden looked at Dark Magician as he stared at his opponent defiantly.

"According to the history books, that card is Yugi's ace," Jayla said.

"I know, cool!" Jaden agreed. Yusei simply nodded.

"As cool as he may be, he's still subject to Paradox Dragon's power down effect," Paradox said (Dark Magician: Attack 0).

Jayla sighed. "Yugi, if Stardust Dragon needs to be destroyed for us to win this then destroy it," she said. They looked at her shocked by her words. "It's better that than letting it be under Paradox's control any longer."

"Jayla…" Yami muttered. The two stared into each other's eyes got a moment.

"Oh, how touching. Now go already!" Paradox yelled impatiently.

Yami turned to the field. "I activate Bond Between Teacher and Student. When I have a Dark Magician on the field, I can summon his student, Dark Magician Girl!" The magician in blue and pink clothing and staff came to the field. "Next I activate Magic Gate of Miracles. Now since I have two spellcasters out on my field, I can take control of one of your monsters."

A giant square portal formed on both sides of the field and two giant hands reach out. In response, Paradox declared, "I activate Malefic Force. Now Paradox Dragon is no longer up for grabs."

"That's true, but Stardust Dragon still is," Yami reminded. The hands reached out and pulled Stardust over to Jayla, the dragon not even bothering to resist the pull. "Jayla, Stardust Dragon is now back where it belongs."

"Thanks, Yugi!" she said as it appeared on her card and the image on Paradox's card shattered.

Jaden gave a small chuckle. "You never wanted Paradox Dragon in the first place, right?" he asked.

Yami nodded. "And speaking of Paradox Dragon, his ability is no longer in effect which means our monsters attack points return to normal," he informed. Dark Magician and Neos Knight return to their normal 2500 attack points each.

"So what if your monsters' attack points are back to normal? My dragon still has them beat with a total of 4000. Face it, you're simply outmatched," Paradox retorted.

"I wouldn't say that," Yami countered resulting in Paradox giving a shock and confused look. "I activate Dark Magic Twin Burst! Now I can add Dark Magician Girl's attack points to Dark Magician's (Dark Magician: Attack 4500). Now your dragon is the one who's been outmatched, Paradox, and he also happens to be outnumbered two to one. Now go, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl!"

The two spellcasters shot a beam of purple like that pierced Paradox Dragon's head and went through it and through the dragon's abdomen destroying it and forced Paradox to lose 500 life points making him at 3500.

"These desperate moves change nothing," Paradox said with a grin.

"I disagree. You had two monsters and now you have none," Yugi said.

"And I thank you for that. All you've done is clear the way for something else. Something grand, something almighty!" Paradox exclaimed.

"Spit it out," Jaden commanded tense while they all got in defensive stances.

"I activate Malefic Paradigm Shift which, at the cost of half of my life points (Paradox: Life Points 1750) allows me to summon my most wicked beast, Malefic Truth Dragon (Attack 5000/ Defense 5000)!" Paradox declared. A giant, golden dragon appeared on the field and Paradox's vehicle disappeared as he somehow fused with his new monster.

"I've seen some big monsters in my life, but that behemoth definitely takes the cake," Jaden said shocked.

"And it probably ate it too," Jayla agreed. "Yusei, any ideas at all?"

"If there is a way, we will have to at least work together to do so," he replied. "You have to remember, Jayla, I've never seen a monster like this. Whatever time he's come from, it hasn't happened in any timeline we've seen yet. So right now, all we can do is focus all our energy into finding the right solution together." They nodded at him.

"This is your doing, Yugi! I hope you're pleased with yourself," Paradox yelled down catching their attention again. Yami growled.

"I set two cards face down and end my turn," Yami declared.

Paradox began his turn. "I play Malefic Selector. By removing Malefic Parallel Gear and Malefic Cyber End Dragon from play, I can add two malefic monsters to my hand. And I'll send both Blue Eyes White Dragon and Red Eyes Black Dragon to the graveyard to summon their dark counterparts. Malefic Blue Eyes White Dragon and Malefic Red Eyes Black Dragon!" he played. Both dragons as their dark counterparts appeared onto the field.

"Both Blue Eyes and Red Eyes!" Yami exclaimed shocked.

"Next I'll have Malefic Red Eyes Black Dragon attack that Dark Magician Girl. And so you know, with Malefic Truth Dragon's ability when it destroys one monsters all the other monsters are destroyed as well," Paradox declared.

"What?!" Jayla exclaimed.

"I activate De-Fusion! Neos Knight, time to split," Jaden declared. Elemental HERO Neos and Junk Gardna appeared on the field. "Now, Jayla."

"I use the effect of Junk Gardna to switch Malefic Red Eyes Black Dragon in defense mode," Jayla declared switching the dragon as told. "Which means Dark Magician Girl is safe."

"Jayla, Jaden, nice teamwork," Yami praised. Yusei nodded with a small smile in agreement.

"I'll show you teamwork!" Paradox exclaimed. "Blue Eyes, pick up where Red Eyes left off." I heard them whimper in fear as Blue Eyes attacked Dark Magician and destroyed him. The four duelists' life points dropped to 2100. "Now Truth Dragon's ability activates. So now all your monsters are destroyed." Giant thorns appeared and began to rain down.

"Sorry, Paradox, don't think so!" Jayla stopped. "I activate Stardust Dragon's special ability. By releasing Stardust Dragon, I can negate your dragon's effect and then destroy it all together."

"What?!" Paradox responded.

"So say goodbye," Yusei responded and they thorns switched directions before flying in the opposite direction.

"I play Truth Dragon's other ability. But removing Malefic Rainbow Dragon from play, Truth Dragon is saved," Paradox reacted. "Now Malefic Truth Dragon attack!" As Neos was attacked and destroyed, his dragon's ability activates. "Remember when one goes they all go!" All the rest of our monsters were destroyed. "And did I forget to mention, for every monster destroyed by its effect, you take 800 points of damage." The four of them are pushed back by the explosion and their life points drop to 500. "Next I activate Malefic Divide. With it, I can summon back Malefic Cosmic Dragon! And now it will attack all of you!"

"No, my nightmare, my worst fear is coming true," Jayla said grimly. "All is lost."

"Slow down there, Jayla," Yusei called. She looked at him. "No Signer should ever lose hope like that. There is still hope, Jayla."

"Era's right, don't surrender yet. We still have our secret weapon on our side," Jaden agreed.

"Remember, we believe in duel monsters with all of our hearts while Paradox does not. And when you believe, you have hope," Yami said.

"Maybe it would be better if I show you what we mean. I play, The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh. So we can add a Kuriboh or Wing Kuriboh to our hand," Jaden said. He looked at Yami. "You're up."

"Right. Kuriboh!" Yami called. "I activate your ability. So by sending it to the graveyard, it allows Kuriboh to take the hit instead of us." A giant Kuriboh appeared in front of us and blocked the attack.

"No!" Paradox exclaimed as Kuriboh shattered and the four of us on the ground stared up at him with a glare. "Yugi, I'll make you pay dearly for that little stunt!" Paradox threatened.

"I don't think you will. Because at the end of this turn, Malefic Divides effect is gone which means Malefic Stardust Dragon will be gone," Yami retorted. Malefic Stardust Dragon disappeared because, true to Yami's words, the effect of Malefic Divide was completed.

"But not the real Stardust Dragon. Because with its ability, it now returns to the field," Yusei stated.

Jayla and the rest of them turned as her dragon appeared. "Stardust Dragon… glad your back," she told her dragon.

"Yusei," Yami called and he turned to the King of Games, "it's your turn now. Remember, no matter what time you're in, you'll always have those supporting you."

Yusei nodded. "You better be ready Paradox, because I'm about to save the rest of those dragons you snatched," he told him with a glare.

"I would love to see you try," Paradox taunted more.

"First I'll activate Winds of the Returning Hearts," I declared. "When a dragon is special summoned from the graveyard, like with Stardust Dragon, I can special summon all monsters destroyed during this turn." Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Elemental HERO Neos, and Junk Gardna reappeared on the field.

"What?! I just got rid of all of them," Paradox exclaimed shocked.

"Too bad. And now it's my turn," Yusei declared drawing his card. "Next I activate Calling Message! Now I can add up to four monsters from your deck, graveyard, and even the ones removed from play to our decks," I declared.

"What?!" Paradox said shocked.

"I told you I would save them and I will keep that promise. So Blue Eyes White Dragon, Red Eyes Black Dragon, Rainbow Dragon, and Cyber End Dragon go to the decks your heart takes you to," Yusei called.

Four orbs of light floated out of Paradox's duel disk and to Yami and Jaden's decks. Blue Eyes, Red Eyes, and Cyber End went to Yami and Rainbow Dragon went to Jaden.

"Nice, Yusei!" Jaden praised.

"Now it's time for your down fall Paradox," I said.

"I hate to interrupt good trash talkin'. But here, this is worth it. I play Neos Spiral Force," Jaden declared. "With it, I can double the attack points of one of our monsters (Stardust Dragon: Attack 5000)."

"And I play Dark Spiral Force. With this force in play, I can double its attack points once again (Stardust Dragon: Attack 10,000)," Yami declared.

"And I'll play Wind Force," Yusei declared. "This doubles the attack points of Stardust Dragon. I think you could use a lesson after taking those dragons (Stardust Dragon: Attack 20,000)."

"20,000 attack points! How?!" Paradox exclaimed in defeat and fear.

"Go, Neos! Attack!" Jaden exclaimed.

"Dark Magician, attack!" Yami ordered.

A vision of light green dragon with a light blue tip of tail hair and mane appeared next to Stardust and it roared ready for battle. "Show him that light will always prevail against the dark! Wind Current Dragon and Stardust Dragon, attack!" Yusei ordered.

In unison, Jaden, Yusei, Jayla, and Yami exclaimed, "Go, Dark Cosmic Current Wave!"

"No! NO!" Paradox exclaimed as the attacks hit him and he disappeared.

The duel completed and the four duelists sighed in relief.

. . .

The sun was setting and Yusei, Jaden, and Jayla were beside Yami as they waited to say goodbye to our friend.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye then. Great meeting you all. Think we'll meet again sometime?" Jaden said.

"Yeah, but next time we meet, let's hope the whole world of duel monsters isn't on the line again," Yusei responded.

"I can definitely agree with you there, Yusei," Jayla agreed.

"Yeah, maybe we could duel each other. Whatever happens, I'm sure the bond we made here is one that'll stand the test of time," Yami agreed.

"All of time," Jaden said putting his hand out.

"Totally," Jayla agreed setting hers on Jaden's.

"Absolutely," Yusei said placing his on the forming pile.

Yami followed the gesture placing his hand on the other three's.

"Now, remember to give those dragons back to their human friends. Yugi, Red Eyes and Blue Eyes really want to go back to Kaiba and Joey. And Jaden, Rainbow Dragon is dying to see Jesse again. Make sure he's gets back safe, okay?" Yusei said.

"Got it," Jaden agreed.

"But we better get going. We'll drop you off at your time, Jaden. See ya, Yugi," Yusei called a bit. Jayla and Jaden nodded in agreement.

"Goodbye, guys. We'll see each other again," Yami said. "That, I have no doubt."

The three duelists left.

. . .

After dropping Jaden off, Yusei and Jayla found themselves back on the outlook.

Yusei looked to see the city in one piece. "The city's okay," he said relieved. He and Jayla looked at the Crimson Dragon by them who nodded in approval before disappearing.

The two heard laughing and Leo and Luna calling their names. When they looked, they saw Jack, Crow, Akiza, Luna, and Leo running to us, smiling and happy.


	41. Talk of the Gods

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 41: Talk of the Gods

Yusei, Jayla, the twins, Jack, Akiza, and Crow met up early, though Jayla, Yusei, Crow, and Jack stopped at the overlook. It was now the day of the semifinals for the World Racing Grand Prix. And Team 5Ds were more than nervous.

"So our next opponent is Team Ragnarok," Jack commented.

"They are said to be tough. They have three Nordic God cards and are said to have the Rune Eyes," Jayla commented.

"Doesn't that mean they're successors of some Aesir group?" Crow asked.

"Yep," Yusei replied. "They're tough opponents. Especially with their god cards. Not at tough as the legendary Egyptian God cards but tough none the less."

"Sounds like you think we'll be easy to beat," came a voice from behind. Dragan as Yusei knew him from his time watching the world as a god.

They turned around and saw the three members of Team Ragnarok standing there. "Seems we finally meet somewhere other than a battlefield," Halldor stated.

"Seems so," Jayla responded.

"I say we should at least tell you about the Aesirs," Broder stated.

"Hmm, perhaps," Halldor agreed and immediately began to explain the tale of how the Aesirs came to be and how the members of Team Ragnarok came to obtaining the Aesirs. When the story was finished, Jayla was tense but Yusei was perfectly calm unmoved by their words which might shake another duelist. "You are right about one thing, young man. We are tough opponents. Tough enough where we will defeat your little group," Halldor responded.

"Who are you anyway?" Dragan asked.

"My name is Futen," Yusei answered confusing them a bit, though they didn't say anything.

"Do you really think you can stop Team New World?" Jack asked.

"Instead of going against Team New World apart, perhaps we should try to expose the plot of Team New World and help one another in that quest," Jayla stated.

"No," Halldor declared. "The Aesir are not willing to enter an alliance with the Crimson Dragon's Signers. However, I am not quite sure how this Futen fits into your group."

"You know, I know your Norse gods by a different name," Yusei told him.

"And what's that?" Dragan asked.

"Odin is also known as God Izanagi, Loki as Susano-O, and Thor as Raijin," Yusei answered. "Izanagi as the god of creation, Susano-O as the god of storms and bringer of mayhem, and Raijin, the god of thunder and lightning."

"How do you know them?" Broder asked.

Yusei closed his eyes and hard gusts of wind blew against them.

"What the…?! Is he doing this?!" Dragan called.

Yusei opened his eyes and said, "I was. And the reason I know the gods and I can use the wind freely is because I am the god of wind." They went wide eyed in shock. "Those you know as Thor, Loki, and Odin and say would never team up with the Crimson Dragon is somewhat wrong. We have our specific names that we go by and come from Japanese mythology, but we accept names given to us by other religions. However, all gods except for Tsukiyomi, the god of the moon and ruler of the Underworld, back up the Crimson Dragon and are willing to help him."

Halldor scoffed. "Why would a god be hanging out with a person's whose heritage belongs to a person who helped create such misery?" he asked.

Jayla tensed. "Zero Reverse was an accident," she told him.

"To an extent, at least. Roman Goodwin was convinced to start Zero Reverse by Yliaster and the Earthbound Immortals and caused it himself. Professor Fudo actually wanted to stop the project before Zero Reverse occurred," Yusei stated. "And Jayla's father was with Professor Fudo and tried to stop the explosion as well."

"Is that so?" Halldor scoffed. "It was Professor Fudo's research that caused that explosion. It was his research. And her father helped with the research and was there the day it exploded."

"Either way, Halldor, it wasn't Jayla's or her father's fault. Jayla was only a baby when Zero Reverse occurred. Even the gods couldn't control what happened with Zero Reverse," Yusei fought.

"Yu-Futen's right. It isn't Jayla's father's fault and it isn't Jayla's either," Crow agreed.

"Did the gods even try to stop that explosion?" Dragan asked.

"Believe me, we wanted to. But Izanagi, our leader, convinced us to stay behind the sidelines as we always have and let the mortals play out their own stories," Yusei responded. "It is our usual rule to let mortals make their own choices and for gods to have little to no interference. The only reason I am here right now is because a strong darkness is threatening this world again. Izanagi and the other gods, especially the Crimson Dragon, wanted me here to help figure it out and stop it. But only help. As usual, I will not interfere with how the world is saved. But if we could have stopped Zero Reverse, we would've, but it was the god you know as Odin who told us not to. It wasn't Jayla's or Doctor Sito's fault that Zero Reverse occurred. They tried to stop it with Professor Fudo. Roman Goodwin made it happen through blind ideas of ambition and misguidance."

"You truly believe that?" Halldor asked.

"Wouldn't Yusei know better than any of us? He watched it happen from the Divine Realm," Jack responded.

"I'm shocked, Atlas. You seem like you've changed quite a bit since the last time we dueled," Dragan stated.

"You fought him before, Jack?" Crow asked.

"Once," Jack replied, "and beat him too."

"Don't you remember that duel better, Jack?" Dragan asked.

"I do," Jack answered.

 **~Flashback~**

Jack drew his card as he took the first draw. "I summon Top Runner (Attack 1100/ Defense 800) in attack mode and set two face downs," he declared.

Dragan drew his card. "I summon Garmr of the Nordic Beasts (Attack 800/ Defense 1900) in attack mode and finish my turn with a face down," he proclaimed.

"I summon Power Breaker (Attack 1900/ Defense 0) in attack position. Now I turn Power Breaker with Top runner to synchro summon Red Dragon Archfiend (Attack 3000/ Defense 2500)! Now attack his Garmr!" Jack ordered his dragon. Red Dragon Archfiend attacked and destroyed Garmr.

The duel ran forward but eventually, Dragan lost the duel.

 **~Flashback Ended~**

"Did you know I was forced to lose on purpose by Lazar and Former Director Goodwin in order to raise money for my father's hospitalization?" Dragan asked. Jack tensed.

"We will see you in the semifinal match soon enough, Team 5Ds. The winner of this will receive the right to face Team New World," Halldor called. "Remember, the next time we meet may not be as pleasant." They left with that.

"Talk about a confident bunch," Crow muttered.

"They have a right to be so. They're Nordic Gods are strong and line up just after Exodia and the Egyptian God cards," Yusei explained.

"Wait, Exodia the Forbidden One, too?" Crow asked. "As in one of the most powerful cards in Yugi Muto's time?"

"Yep. But just like Exodia, they have weak points. You just have to search for it," Yusei replied. "You guys better get to the track. I will be behind you."

"Right, and we have to win," Jayla agreed.

They all nodded and left on their duel runners. Yusei took to the air and quickly followed them, staying a bit farther behind. This was going to be a hard fight.


	42. The Soul of Red Nova

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 42: The Soul of Red Nova

"Duel fans of all ages, welcome to the semifinals where Team 5Ds is going up against the formidable Team Ragnarok! This will all boil down to what will promise to be an incredible duel!" the MC called. Jack looked at Dragan who returned the gesture as they got ready to duel. The light flashed green and Jack and Dragan shot off like a bullet racing for the first turn. "And they're off!"

' _Be careful, Jack,'_ Yusei thought.

Jack was successful in taking the first turn and drew his card. "I summon Top Runner (Attack 1100/ Defense 800) in attack mode and set two cards face down to end my turn," he declared.

"Then it's my turn," Dragan stated drawing his card from his deck. "I summon Garmr of the Nordic Beasts (Attack 800/ Defense 1900) in attack mode and set a face down. That's all for now."

Jack drew his card. "If we're reliving that old duel then this might add it up. I summon Power Breaker (Attack 1900/ Defense 0) in attack mode. Now I tune Power Breaker with Top Runner to synchro summon a beast of great power. Come forth, Red Dragon Archfiend (Attack 3000/ Defense 2000)!" he declared. "Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Garmr!"

"This will be different because I activate my face down known as Nordic Relic Brisingamen! This increases the attack of Garmr to equal the attack of Red Dragon Archfiend until the end phase (Garmr of the Nordic Beasts: Attack 3000)," Dragan returned. "Oh, and if Garmr destroys a monster by battle this turn, the attack of the destroyed monster will be inflicted to you as damage."

"Well I activate my face down, Reaction Summon to special summon Top Runner from my graveyard. And due to the effect of Top Runner, the attack of my face up synchro monsters increase by 600 (Red Dragon Archfiend: Attack 3600)," Jack retorted. Red Dragon Archfiend destroyed Garmr in the one attack dropping Dragan's life points to 3400.

"Since a monster I control was destroyed by battle, I can special summon Tanngnjostr of the Nordic Beasts (Attack 800/ Defense 1100) from my hand in defense position," Dragan returned.

Though Top Runner went to attack Tanngnjostr, it failed due to the attack and defense of both monsters being equivalent. Jack only attacked to prevent Top Runner from being destroyed by the effect of his demonic looking dragon which his team knew well as they watched from the sidelines.

"I set a face down to end my turn," Jack responded.

Dragan drew his card. "I switch my Tanngnjostr into attack position. Because it switched battle position, I can activate its effect allowing me to special summon Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts (Attack 1200/ Defense 800) from my deck in attack mode. And since you control a synchro monster, I can special summon Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts (Attack 1600/ Defense 1000) from my hand," he declared. "Now I tune my Tanngnjostr and Tanngrisnir with Guldfaxe to synchro summon Thor: Lord of the Aesir (Attack 3500/ Defense 2800)! Now I activate the effect of Thor which negates the effects of your Top Runner until the end phase and have Thor gain Top Runner's effect for this turn only (Red Dragon Archfiend: Attack 3000; Thor: Lord of the Aesir: Attack 4100). And now I think I'll have Thor attack that dragon!" Red Dragon Archfiend was destroyed and Jack's life points were struck down to 2900 hard. "I set two face downs and end my turn." Since Dragan had ended his turn, Thor's attack points returned to its normal 3500.

' _Don't get comfortable, Jack. This is far from over,'_ Yusei thought.

Jack drew his card. "I summon Barrier Resonator (Attack 300/ Defense 800) in defense mode. Next I switch Top Runner to defense and end my turn with a face down," he declared.

"My draw!" Dragan exclaimed drawing his card. "I activate Thor's effect negating Top Runner's effect for you and allowing me to use it until the end phase (Thor: Lord of the Aesir: Attack 4100). Now I activate Nordic Relic Mjollnir, allowing Thor to attack twice this turn and allowing Thor to inflict 1000 points of direct damage to you should he destroy a monster in battle. Now Thor, attack that Barrier Resonator!" Thor did as he was told and Barrier Resonator was destroyed resulting Jack life points dropping to 1900. Thor then attacked and destroyed Top Runner with Mjollnir activating and dropping Jack to a mere 900 life points.

"I activate Tuner's Reflect. This resummons both Barrier Resonator and Top Runner from my graveyard and inflicts battle damage straight to you equaling the combined attack points of the two monsters," the Signer retorted and Dragan's life points dropped to 2000.

"I end my turn with one face down," Dragan declared and Thor's attack returned to his original 3500 again.

"I don't like this," Crow stated in the stands.

It was Jack's turn. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2. By removing four speed counters, I can inflict 800 points of damage for every speed spell in my hand," he declared. He showed his Speed Spell- End of the Storm making Dragan's life points drop to 1200. "Next I activate Descending Lost Star allowing me to summon Red Dragon Archfiend from the graveyard in defense mode with its effects negated, its defense reduced to 0 and its level reduce by 1 (Red Dragon Archfiend: Defense 0/ Level 7). Now I double tune Red Dragon Archfiend with Top Runner and Barrier Resonator to synchro summon a monster of extraordinary power," he declared.

"Double tuning?!" all three members of Team Ragnarok exclaimed in bewilderment.

"That's right. And with the power of this double tune, I will synchro summon my ultimate beast. Meet Red Nova Dragon (Attack 3500/ Defense 3000)!" Jack declared.

In the pit, Jayla and the others looked at the dragon shocked and amazement though Yusei remained stoic and unmoved by the magnificent beast. He had heard of this dragon once and he had a feeling it was Jack who was going to get it and use it eventually.

"Yusei, did you know he had this dragon?" Crow asked noticing his expression.

"How could I not? I've heard all about it from watching the past events. He had received it even before Jayla and I went after Paradox," he replied. "The Red Nova Dragon would only appear when its true owner called upon it. And Jack was its true owner."

"Crow, remember, he has been on this world for eons," Jayla reminded him. "And he's also a god. He would know legends of certain cards or monsters better than any of us."

"True," Crow agreed and they turned back to the duel.

"Due to the effect of Red Nova, it gains 500 attack points for every tuner monster in my graveyard (Red Nova Dragon: Attack 4500)," Jack informed Dragan. "Now Red Nova attack Thor: Lord of the Aesir!"

' _That won't be enough, Jack,'_ Yusei thought.

"I activate Raging Sacred Curse!" Dragan responded. "This reduces Red Nova Dragon's attack and Defense by 2000 (Red Nova Dragon: Attack 2500/ Defense 1000). Next I activate Solemn Authority which prevents Thor from being affected by your trap cards for two turns."

"I activate Burning Rebirth!" Jack retorted. "By tributing Red Nova Dragon, I can special summon Red Dragon Archfiend (Attack 3000/ Defense 2000) from my graveyard." Red Nova vanished leaving Red Dragon Archfiend in its place with Red Dragon Archfiend equipped with Burning Rebirth. "Now I activate the second effect of Burning Rebirth. By sending it and my Trap Eater from my hand to the graveyard, I can special summon Red Nova Dragon (Attack 3500/ Defense 3000) from my graveyard." Since Burning Rebirth was removed from the field, Red Dragon Archfiend was also destroyed. "Now since there are three tuner monsters in my grave, Red Nova gains 1500 attack points (Red Nova Dragon: Attack 5000). Now Red Nova Dragon, attack Thor: Lord of the Aesir!" The attack pulled through and destroyed Thor and knocking Dragan's life points to 0 making Jack the winner.

"Before I'm down for the count, Thor's ability activates reviving him at a full 3500 attack points and dealing 800 points of direct damage at you," Dragan finished.

As Jack's life points dropped to 100 points, Dragan passed the baton to Broder who went after Jack with Thor still in tow.

Broder drew his card. "I set two face downs and activate Thor's effect which negates Red Nova Dragon's effect and grants Thor his effects until the end phase (Red Nova Dragon: Attack 3500)," he declared. "Now Thor, attack Red Nova Dragon!" As the attack hit, both monsters were destroyed due to the equaling attack points. Broder ended his turn reviving Thor and knocking Jack's life points to 0 with its effect making Broder the winner.


	43. Tricksters

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 43: Tricksters

Jack came over and Crow took off. _'Careful, Crow,'_ Yusei thought. _'And good luck.'_

As Crow caught up to Broder, Bruno stated, "There are still two more of these god cards."

"Knowing Crow, he won't allow the second one to be summoned," Jayla responded. She looked at Yusei and noticed his tense atmosphere around her. "Something wrong, Yusei?"

He sighed and slowly said while looking at Crow through the monitor, "I just feel like this won't be as easy for Crow as you think. Broder is also known as the Trick Star, after all. And if the attacks and damage was real… **(A/N: Yeah, I know I forgot to mention that in the last duel. Sorry about that. But the attacks and damage were real like in a Shadow Duel or a psychic duel or whatever you want to call it. Sorry I forgot to mention that. Don't be too harsh about it please!)** "

"We just have to hope Crow won't be hurt too bad. Crow will find a way, though," Jayla assured. He slowly nodded in acceptance.

"I'll beat you in a second, Crow," Broder told the man.

"Don't underestimate me," Crow responded. He drew his card calling, "I'll bring out the power of my Blackwings." And the duel began. "Since you control a monster and I don't, I can summon Blackwing- Sirocco the Dawn (Attack 2000/ Defense 900) in attack position with tribute. And now since I control a Blackwing monster, I can special summon Blackwing- Gale the Whirlwind (Attack 1300/ Defense 400) in attack mode. I then activate Gale's effect to halve the attack and defense of Thor (Thor, Lord of the Aesir: Attack 1750/ Defense 1400) until the end phase. And now since the total levels of the Blackwing monster I control are at least eight, I can special summon Blackwing- Calima the Haze (Attack 600/ Defense 1800) from his hand in attack position with its effect. Now I tune Blackwing- Calima the Haze with Blackwing- Gale the Whirlwind in order to synchro summon. Rise, Blackwing Armor Master (Attack 2500/ Defense 1500)! Blackwing Armor Master, attack Thor!" The attack destroyed Broder's monster and his life points fell to 3250. Sirocca, attack Broder directly!" The man's fell to 1250.

"I activate my face down, The Golden Apples! This increases my life points by the battle I took this turn and summon a Malus Token which attack and defense equals that amount (Attack 2750/ Defense 2750)," Broder defended.

"I set two cards face down and my end turn," Crow finished. And due to it being the end phase, Thor's effect, it was revived and inflicted 800 to Crow. The bird named man life points fell to 3200 and he cried out in pain.

Broder drew his card and Solemn Authority was destroyed due to its last effect. "I activate the effect of Thor. This negates the effects of Blackwing Armor Master and granting those effects to Thor until the end phase. Malus Token, attack Blackwing- Sirocco the Dawn!" Broder ordered and the attack destroyed Crow's monster while dropping his life points to 2450. "Thor, attack Blackwing Armor Master!" Crow's last monster was destroyed and his life points fell to 1450.

"Since two Blackwing monsters were destroyed the same turn, I can special summon Blackwing- Brisote the Tailwind (Attack 1200/ Defense 1800) in attack position," the bird named man played. "I activate my face down, Black Return! This increases my life points by the attack of Thor, Lord of the Aesir and return it to your extra deck."

"I activate Nordic Relic Laevateinn! This destroys Thor due to it destroying a monster in a battle this turn," Broder fought. "And since your Black Return's target was removed, its effect of Black Return is negated." He smirked. "I set a face down and end my turn. And since it's the end phase, you know what that means, don't you?" Thor rose again and inflicted another 800 points of damage to Crow, dropping his life points to 650, while the wind continued to blow keeping the pain minimal.

"I can't believe the attacks are real," Jack stated.

' _I'm well below the safety line,'_ Crow thought in worry. _'If Broder has a speed spell in his hand next turn, I lose.'_ As they complete the lap, he passes the kids and they cheer for him.

Broder stated, "I had kids that I, myself, protect. But yours can't count on Team 5D's to protect the children and defeat Yliaster." That caught Crow's attentioned. "I used to be a treasure hunter, to be honest. But that changed when I met a bunch of kids who were lone survivors of a war. I wouldn't leave the island as there were no other adults to really take care of the kids. Eventually, parents came to adopt them, but I'd heard rumors of the organization that triggered the war. That's not something I can just brush off."

' _This far-reaching organization is Yliaster!'_ Crow realized. _'That's the mission Broder is determined to follow no matter what: defeating Yliaster. I can't give up here.'_ He drew his card. "I summon Blackwing- Blizzard the Far North (Attack 1300/ Defense 0) in defense mode and activate its effect. This revives Blackwing- Gale the Whirlwind (Attack 1300/ Defense 400) in defense mode. Then I activate my face down Blackboost to draw two cards since I control at least two Blackwing monsters. After that, I activate the Speed Spell- Speed Force! This prevents you from destroying my cards through spells and traps until my next standby phase. Next I activate the effect of Blackwing- Gale the Whirlwind to halve Thor's attack and defense (Thor, Lord of the Aesir: Attack 1750/ Defense 1400). Now I tune Blackwing- Brisote the Tailwind with Blackwing- Gale the Whirlwind to synchro summon. Rise up, Black-Winged Dragon (Attack 2800/ Defense 1600)! And now since Brisote was sent to the graveyard as a synchro material, its effect activates, increasing my life points by 600." Crow's life points jumped to 1250. "Black-Winged Dragon, attack Thor!" The attack succeeded and Broder's life points fell to 2950. "I set a face down and end my turn."

"Well, that means Thor's back and inflicts another 800 points of damage at you," Broder responded.

"Not quite, Broder," Crow retorted shocking him. "See, my dragon's got an effect. By placing a Blackwing Counter on it and decrease its attack and defense points (Black-Winged Dragon: Attack 2100/ Defense 1600), I can avoid damage."

Though he was frustrated, Broder stayed calm and continued the duel, "I summon Ljosalf of the Nordic Alfar (Attack 1400/ Defense 1200) in attack position and activate its effect to special summon Svartalf of the Nordic Alfar (Attack 1400/ Defense 1600) in attack position. Now I tune Malus Token with Ljosalf with Svartalf to synchro summon. Rise, Loki, Lord of the Aesir (Attack 3300/ Defense 3000)!"

' _That's not good,'_ Yusei thought a bit worried.

"Loki, attack Black-Winged Dragon!" Broder ordered.

"I activate Black Sonic! This removes from play all of your attack position monsters," Crow defended.

"I activate Loki's effect! It negates the effect of Black Sonic and destroys it," Broder fought. Loki continued the attack against Black-Winged Dragon and destroyed it while dropping Crow's life point to a mere 50. "Thor, attack Blizzard the Far North!" The attack succeeded and destroyed Crow's monster.

"How is Crow going to survive at this rate?" Leo asked. They all looked at Yusei for her ideas being the eldest and the one who was a god.

"He'll find a way," he told them. "I know him since he was a younger than memory. Even if it seems futile, he'll find a way to keep things as easy as possible for this team. But Crow will do all he can to ensure that this teams wins. And that's all we have to rely on. And all we can do is hope that he comes out on top." They nodded and turned back to the duel.

Crow drew his card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2. By removing seven speed counters, I can draw one card. I then set two face downs and end my turn," he played.

Broder drew his card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2 as well! By removing ten speed counters, I can destroy one of your set cards!" he declared and the card destroyed was Black Wing. "Loki, attack Crow directly!"

"I activate my other face down Black Wing! This negates the attack by removing from play one Blackwing from my graveyard," Crow defended.

"I activate the effect of Loki! This negates the effect of Black Wing and destroys it," Broder fought.

"I remove Blackwing- Calima the Haze from my graveyard to revive Black-Winged Dragon (Attack 2800/ Defense 1600)!" Crow declared and his dragon returned to his side.

"Well, Loki, attack that dragon!" Broder ordered.

"I activate the second effect of Black Wing! By removing the two Black Wings in my graveyard, I can destroy both Black-Winged Dragon and Loki and inflict the attack of Loki as damage to you," Crow fought.

Broder's life points fell to 0 but Broder then called, "I activate my face down Dromi the Sacred Shackles! This inflicts damage at you equal to the difference between Black-Winged Dragon and Loki." The assault hit and the duel ended in a draw. But due to it being Broder's end phase, Loki returned to the field.

Broder and Crow passed the batons to Halldor and Yusei and both duelists sped forward to duel against each other.


	44. Heart and Soul

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 44: Heart and Soul

Jayla drew her card. "I summon Cosmic Compass (Attack 100/ Defense 300) in defense mode," she declared. "Now since I normal summoned it, I can activate its effect allowing me to summon a Compass Token for each of your monsters that you control. And since you control two, I can summon two Compass Tokens in defense mode (Attack 0/ Defense 0 for each token). Finally I set two face downs." Halldor drew his card and Jayla was quick to activate one of her face downs, "I activate Monster Chain! This places a counter of Monster Chain for each monster I control which it three so Monster Chain gains 3 counters. While Monster Chain is face up, neither player can declare an attack but during your end phase, Halldor, I must remove a Chain Counter and when it has no Chain Counters, Monster Chain is destroyed." This put the gods in a chain not allowing it to attack.

"I summon Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant (Attack 400/ Defense 800) in attack position," he began. "Next I activate its effect! By sending Interdimensional Matter Transporter and Baton of the Hero from my hand to the graveyard, I can special summon two Einherjar Tokens (Attack 1000/ Defense 1000 for both) in defense mode. Now I tune my two tokens with Valkyrie in order to synchro summon. I call forth, Odin, Father of the Aesir (Attack 4000/ Defense 3500)!" he declared and his monster rose up. "I activate Odin's effect making all divine- beast type monsters unaffected by spells and traps for one turn meaning it is not affected by Monster Chain for now. Now, Loki, Thor, attack his Compass Tokens!" The two monster tokens were destroyed with ease. "And finally Odin, attack his Cosmic Compass!" Jayla's final monster shattered to pieces, leaving her defenseless of monsters. "Finally I set a face down and end my turn. Now do you see Jayla? You won't be able to defeat me. Now, perhaps it is time I tell you how I ended up gaining the right to wield Odin." Jayla didn't respond, allowing Halldor to explain his travels around the world and strengthening himself to gain the right to wield Odin. "Which is why you will not win. You see, you're the very last obstacle in my way to saving the world. But you won't be standing in my way for long, the gods will see to that. Which is why I offer you a chance to leave this with at least some of your dignity intact. I offer you the chance to surrender. Otherwise, you will feel the full force of my three chilling powerhouses!"

"Is that so? You know, I think it's time I told you a little tale of my own, Halldor. You see, you're not the only one who's come all the way to the Grand Prix to fight for something," Jayla retorted.

"What do you mean, Jayla?" Halldor asked.

"You know what I mean," Jayla replied and Yusei knew she was thinking about how Halldor accused her of being able to cause the same damage his father's research did. "My heart didn't want to believe what you said could be true, but then I remembered a dream about my father. In it he warned me of a great danger." The sounded of an echo reached both their ears and they looked up. "I know what that is now. It's the Divine Temple and my father's shadow."

"Your father's shadow?" Halldor repeated.

"You see, I was born on the same day that this city nearly perished," Jayla informed. "Was it coincidence? Or was it something much more? Something to do with the Sito family? Even though Zero Reverse was not my father's fault, he was a part of it. So maybe there something about my bloodline that brings doom and despair and if that turns out to be the case, then I'll do what I must to stop it. Just as I'll stop Team New World. You see, I've realized something important. Nothing will ever change what happened here in New Domino City, the only thing I can control is what happens next! So that's just what I plan to do."

"I see," Halldor responded.

"So to answer your question, no, Halldor, there's no way I'll ever surrender!" Jayla answered. Her mark glowed followed by the others.

. . .

In the booth, all the Signer's marks vanished. "He's coming," Akiza stated.

. . .

All the marks combined onto Jayla giving her the Mark of the Crimson Dragon.

"What in the world?" Halldor responded to his mark. "That's the Mark of the Crimson Dragon!"

"Yes, because he's the only one strong enough to take on your Nordic God. Now then, it's my turn!" Jayla responded and drew her card. "I play the Speed Spell- Angel Baton! Since I have at least two speed counters, I can draw two additional cards from my deck by sending one card in my hand to the graveyard. Next I summon forth, Debris Dragon (Attack 1000/ Defense 2000)!"

"It's a tuner monster. He's planning a synchro," Halldor realized.

"And when Debris Dragon is summoned, I get summon a monster with five hundred or less attack points straight from my graveyard. And the monster I choose is Cosmic Compass," Jayla responded. "And now since a tuner monster is on my field, I can summon from my graveyard, Quillbolt Hedgehog (Attack 800/ Defense 800)! Next up, since a monster was summoned from my graveyard, I can summon this monster from my hand: Dopplewarrior (Attack 800/ Defense 800)! But I'm not through yet. Dopplewarrior, tune with Quillbolt Hedgehog and Debris Dragon! Now out of three will come on, and out of one will come great cosmic might. I synchro summon, the synchro monster Stardust Dragon!"

"Your ultimate beast, but it doesn't matter. Stardust Dragon is still no match for my Nordic Gods," Halldor stated.

"I activate Dopplewarrior's ability. When it's used in a synchro summon, I'm allowed to bring out one Dopple Token to my field. Then from my hand I activate the Speed Spell- Overtune!" Jayla declared. "Due to Overtune, since I have five speed counters, I am now allowed to release one monster on my field. And in exchange, I can summon one tuner monster from my hand that has the same level."

"Wait, just what's going on here?" Halldor asked.

"I release level one Dopple Token, and summon Majestic Dragon (Attack 0/ Defense 0)!" Jayla continued. "Now Cosmic Compass and Majestic Dragon, tune with Stardust Dragon! You were wrong when you called Stardust Dragon my ultimate beast Halldor; this is my ultimate beast. I now synchro summon, the Majestic Star Dragon (Attack 3800/ Defense 3000)!"

"They're something about that beast," Halldor commented on the field. He stared at it and the Crimson Dragon could be seen through his rune eye. "This monster in the incarnation of the Crimson Dragon!" He smirked a bit. "No matter. He cannot attack."

"Now since Cosmic Compass was used to synchro summon, I get to make an additional draw," Jayla declared. "Next I throw down a face down. Then, end my turn. And now that I have I activate a face down. The trap Star Force. By paying 1000 life points, I can negate the effect of one monster until the next turn. And I negate the effects of Majestic Star Dragon to prevent it from returning it my extra deck."

"It's my turn." Halldor drew his card. "Dear Jayla, I applaud your effort to keep fighting, but as you can see, Odin out matches your dragon by 200 points and even if he didn't, you'd better believe I've taken extra precautions to secure my victory regardless. Precautions such as this one, I activate a trap card. Odin's Eye! And I'm afraid, Jayla, that your Majestic Star Dragon's ability cannot negate the activation of this card."

"It's not?" she questioned.

"That's right, Jayla. When a god is on the field, nothing can negate the effect of Odin's Eye and that being the case, this trap activates," Halldor declared. "Now by negating the abilities of a god card, I'm allowed to look at your hand or a face down on your field. And I think I'll choose to look at your face down, Jayla." Odin's metal eye opened and Halldor grinned and stated, "I see. How interesting, you're face down card is Wave Rebound. That means on this very turn, if a synchro was summoned from the graveyard, you could negate that summoning and then you could deal damage equal to what that synchro's attack points were. A very cunning scheme you have planned and I do believe if you had managed to execute your scheme at this present moment, you would have won the duel. However, I think you know quite well I won't be letting that happen. Not a chance, not since I've seen it coming. Ah, Jayla, this is how it should be. Perhaps it is not as exciting for the crowd, but I assure you, it is exciting for me. After all, the very best part of a chess match, such as this, is the moment the players just sit and strategize. And given the present state of this duel of ours, well, that's what we must do now. I place one card face down and end my turn."

. . .

"If only Jayla had been able to get off his trap," Crow stated.

"But he didn't get it off though and that's that," Jack retorted. "It's like Jayla said, you can't change the past but you can control what happens next. Course by that logic, Halldor can too."

"The good news is by Jayla's Stay Force trap, Majestic Star Dragon can stay for now three more turns," Bruno stated.

"But you have to remember Bruno, Monster Chain's effect will end on Jayla's next turn," Akiza reminded.

. . .

"It's my turn," Jayla stated drawing his card. "First I use the effect of Speed World 2. Now by removing seven of my speed counters, I can draw an extra card. Next, to extend the effect of Stay Force, I will pay 1000 life points. Now, Majestic Star Dragon no longer has to leave the field. With that, I end my turn."

"It's my draw," Halldor declared drawing his card. "Now then, time to end this once and for all. That's right, Jayla, I know the prevailing wisdom has us all waiting for Monster Chain to expire but it's like I said, the best part of the duel is when the players take time to strategize. Well, I have strategized, Jayla, and now I'm ready to implement that strategy. So here it comes. Odin, I activate your special ability! Now the effect used by Monster Chain to stop Odin is negated."

"Then I play my Majestic Star Dragon's ability! As you well know Halldor, when you use Odin's ability, I can release Majestic Star Dragon and negate that ability," she retorted. "Then all the cards on your field are destroyed." All of Halldor's cards were destroyed as she stated.

"I'll now place a card face down and end my turn," Halldor declared. "Which means we're at the end phase and my Nordic god returns. So rise, Odin, Loki, and Thor!"

"You asked for it Halldor, I activate my trap, Wave Rebound!" Jayla declared.

"Tell me, Jayla, are you happy with your plan?" Halldor asked. "Because I am happy with it. In fact, I couldn't be happier, and do you know why?"

She turned. "I think you're about to show me," she replied.

"I activate a trap from my graveyard," Halldor declared.

"A trap from your graveyard?" Jayla repeated shocked and confused.

"That's correct. Gjallarhorn! This trap unleashes its effect only when six feet under, and it's quite the effect," Halldor stated. The card activated and a person came from within it blowing a horn. "Do you hear that, Jayla? That's the sound of your complete and utter destruction! That's the sound of victory and it's getting louder. Jayla, prepare to feel the full wrath of the Nordic gods!" He calmed himself down. "Sorry, Jayla, but due to Gjallarhorn, your Wave Rebound won't be making any waves at all. You see, Gjallarhorn puts a stop to any effect that negates the revival of my Nordic gods. But there's more, at the end of my third turn, all the monsters I have on my field are removed from play and you get hit with a total of their attack points."

"No way," she muttered.

. . .

"That means at the end phase of every turn, the three Nordic gods will return to the battlefield. Guess, Gjallarhorn really does sound the alarm for Jayla," Bruno stated.

"Especially if you add up the attack points of those three gods," Jack added. "Jayla could be taking over ten thousand points of direct damage."

Crow gave a worried whimper. "This is just awful! Jayla just went from the girl to beat to the girl _getting_ beat!" he exclaimed.

. . .

"Now, then since Thor has returned, you take 800 points of damage," Halldor stated and Jayla's life points fell to 1200. "And since Loki has returned, I can add one trap card from my graveyard to my hand. And as you can see, the card I've selected is the trap Odin's Eye! You know what that means!" Jayla tensed as she watched the card. "Next, thanks to Odin's special ability, I get to draw one card from my deck." He looked at it. "Ah, very nice." He placed it in his hand. "Now, I'll end my turn and since I have, Gjallorhorn's counter becomes one." The counter was placed. "A counter that is the count _down_ to your demise, Jayla. Especially since at this very moment, the effect of your monster chain trap is snapped! Your move, Jayla, perhaps your last."

' _As long as Halldor has Odin's Eye out, he'll be able to see my cards and right through my strategy. But wait…'_ she thought.

 **~Flashback~**

"Jayla, when a god is on the field, nothing can negate the gaze of Odin's Eye and since that's the case, it activates," Halldor declared. "Now once per turn, by negating the special abilities of my gods, I am able to look at a card in your hand or on your field."

 **~Flashback Ended~**

' _Maybe I can use that to my advantage!'_ she thought. _'After all, what you see isn't always what you get.'_

"My turn!" Jayla declared drawing her card. "And first I'm summoning Stardust Phantom (Attack 0/ Defense 0)! When Phantom is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can summon Stardust Dragon from my grave in defense mode. Furthermore, if I remove Stardust Phantom from play, I can then lower Stardust Dragon's defense points by 800 and make it invincible any attacks you dare throw its way. I then end my turn with a face down."

"I see what you're planning. I'll even break it down for you step by step," Halldor stated. "Since Phantom's ability activates form the graveyard, Thor won't be able to negate it. Then, if my three Nordic gods attack, you would simply be able to revive Stardust Dragon from your graveyard and be able to survive the onslaught due to his hardy defense. In fact, thanks to Stardust Phantom's ability, you can survive my gods' attacks three times and still keep Stardust Dragon."

"That's right," she responded.

"However, you forgot one thing, it's my turn, and my speed counter is up to ten!" Halldor reminded and drew his card. "And that means I can activate Speed World 2's effect now. So by removing ten speed counters, I can destroy one card on the field. The card that I choose to destroy is that Phantom!"

"And since you have, Phantom's ability now activates, so what happens next is just as you called it. I can summon Stardust Dragon from graveyard," Jayla declared and, as said, Stardust Dragon took to the field.

"Now Thor, attack!" Halldor ordered.

Thor made his way and Jayla immediately reacted, "I play Phantom's second ability, just as you predicted. By removing phantom from play and lowering Stardust's defense by 800, he can't be destroyed in battle (Stardust Dragon: Defense 1200)!"

"Now your turn, Loki. Go, Vanity Blast!" Halldor ordered. The attack was sent.

"Once again, I activate Phantom's ability (Stardust Dragon: Defense 400)," she defended.

"And that's the last time you will, Jayla," Halldor stated. "Don't you see? Stardust Dragon doesn't have enough attack points to save himself and stick around. You were one move short due to my speed counters." Jayla tensed slightly. "And now, blast that Stardust Dragon off the field, Odin! Go Sacred Scepter Slash!"

As the attack neared, Jayla called, "I play Stronghold Guardian! Since my monster in defense mode has been attacked, by banishing Stronghold, Stardust Dragon gains 1500 defense points until this turn's end phase (Stardust Dragon: Defense 1900). Now Phantom, activate your ability!" The attack was avoided and she told her dragon, "Thanks for taking some shots for the team, Stardust."

"Well, I have to admit to you, Jayla, I am ever so impressed with how resourceful you have become. You have been down so many times but never quite out. But that will all change. I summon Jormungardr the Nordic Serpent (Attack 3000/ Defense 3000) to your field!" Halldor declared.

"My field?" she questioned. The long serpent wound around Jayla like a circular wall made of a somewhat living being. "What's going on?"

"I'll tell you what's going on here, Jayla. When a god is on my field, I can summon Jormungardr from my hand to your field in defense mode. Then if Jormungardr switches to attack mode, you take 3000 points of damage," Halldor explained. "Next I activate my face down. Gleipnir, the Fetters of Fenrir! Due to Gleipnir, when a god is on my field, I can add Fenrir the Nordic Wolf from my deck to my hand. And then, again, thanks to the gods, I can summon Fenrir from my hand to your field in defense mode and I'm not just crying wolf! Rise, my pet! Now when your turn's battle phase begins, Fenrir switches all monsters on your side of the field in defense to attack mode. Also, from this point on both players take damage from any battle involving Fenrir."

"Say what?!" Jayla exclaimed.

. . .

Back at the pit, Bruno stated, "That is one tough card combo."

"Wait, how's this a combo?" Leo asked.

"Because, Leo, during the battle phase of Yusei's next turn, Fenrir forces monsters from defense to offense which means that… which means that Jormungardr switches to offense and Jayla takes 3000 points of damage!" Jack exclaimed.

"What?" Leo asked shocked.

"Oh no," Luna muttered.

. . .

"Next I place one card face down and end my turn," Halldor declared. "And since I have, Gjallarhorn's counter becomes two."

' _The card Halldor just placed face down has to be Odin's Eye,'_ she thought. _'I'll have to play this carefully.'_

"My turn now," she declared drawing her card. "I play the trap, Hope for Escape! Now since I have less life points that you Halldor, by getting rid of 1000 of them, I'm now allowed to draw one card for every 1000 point difference in our life points." Jayla's life points dropped to 200. "And since the difference between us is more than 3000, I'm allowed to draw 3 cards from my deck. I summon Life Gardna (Attack 0/ Defense 800)! And with that done, I'm now going to summon a monster simply by removing one I already have from play. So now Jormungardr make way for Different Dimension Sprite (Attack 0/ Defense 100)!"

"But wait…" Halldor responded realizing his combo was gone.

"Different Dimension Sprite, now rise and tune with Life Gardna! Behold as both power and speed surge towards each other to create the synchro, the tuner, the mighty Formula Synchron (Attack 200/ Defense 1500)!" she declared.

"A synchro tuner?" Halldor asked.

"Next I play Life Gardna's ability. Because Life Gardna was used to synchro summon, I now get 800 life points," Jayla declared and her life points sprinted to 1000. "Now I'll play Formula Synchron's ability. With it, I'm allowed to draw one extra card from my deck every turn." She put a hand on her deck and thought, _'The key to winning this now isn't just skill, it's speed.'_ She drew and looked at the card. "And I just got a whole bunch of it! Let's rev it up!" she exclaimed as the wind that angled off her duel runner glowed and she moved faster than the wind. "I tune my level two Formula Synchron with my level eight Stardust Dragon! Let the spirit of all duel monsters now spread its wings and soar to new heights, where it can be transformed by the wings of destiny, where it can become all powerful! Go Accel Synchro!" Jayla vanished from sight.

"What in the world?!" Halldor exclaimed in shock.

A pulse wave was sent from behind him and Jayla appeared while exclaiming, "Appear Shooting Star Dragon (Attack 3300/ Defense 2500)!"

"Shooting Star Dragon?" Halldor repeated. "That's Yusei's most ultimate monster."

"Now from my hand, I'm playing the Speed Spell- Star Force!" Jayla declared. "With this card, so long as I have four or more speed counters, I can remove one monster on my field from play. And then, I can give one monster on my field a super charged power up until this turn's end phase. So the monster I'm removing is Fenrir!" Fenrir was immediately destroyed and she continued, "And since Fenrir was level ten, I get to power up my Shooting Star Dragon by 1000 (Shooting Star Dragon: Attack 4300)!"

"4300 attack points? This could pose a problem," Halldor stated.

"A bigger problem than you realize, Halldor," Jayla retorted, "Because now Shooting Star Dragon's ability activates which means I get to check the top five cards on my deck for tuner monsters." She looked at them. "I have three, and I'm afraid for you that means I'm allowed to wage three separate attacks. Now then, let's get to it! Shooting Star Dragon attack!" Her monster split into three clones of itself and each attacked and destroyed the three godly monsters and dropped Halldor's life points to 1900.

"You will pay for that, Jayla," Halldor growled. "Like a bug on my duel runner windshield, you just keep hanging on; refusing to accept that sooner or later, you're going to hit the pavement."

"The only thing hitting the pavement are these two face downs," she responded calmly.

"Which means it is the end phase of this turn and because it is, guess who's back," Halldor retorted. Each Nordic god returned to the field. "That's right, Thor has returned, which means you take 800 points of damage." Jayla's life points fell to 200 again. "And now Loki is back, meaning I can add one trap card from my graveyard to my hand. And as you can see, the trap card I've selected is God Shackles Gleipnir. And finally Odin returns to the field allowing me draw one card from my deck. But that's not the end of it. Don't forget, now that we're at the turn's end phase your dragon's attack points return to normal (Shooting Star Dragon: Attack 3300). And now it's my turn!" He drew his card.

"Bring it on, Halldor!" Jayla challenged.

"Aren't you peppy for someone who is about to lose?" the Aesir responded.

"If I lose, at least I'll know I did everything I could to win," the Signer replied.

"Oh, please. That's the way failures speak. But I suppose that fits because you have failed," Halldor argued. "And now I'm going to make it official. Then, at long last, all of the world will recognize something as an enclad fact. And that is, the Nordic gods can defeat all who oppose them, even your fledgeling synchros. Observe, I summon Tyr of the Nordic Champions (Attack 2000/ Defense 2000)! Next I activate the trap card, Odin's Eye!" He smirked. "Remember, Jayla, you can't negate the activation of Odin's Eye when a god is on the field. Of course, I have to negate my gods' abilities in order to use Odin's Eye, but that's a small price to pay. Next up, I play Tyr's ability! Now by releasing Tyr, any attacks you were thinking of throwing my way won't do my gods any harm. In other words, the penalty that comes to use Odin's Eye is now gone. Now, then, by the divine power of Odin's Eye, let's see that face down!"

As it was about to be revealed, Jayla called stopping it, "Just what I was hoping for! I activate my trap, Trick Mirror! Due to this card, when your trap activates, I can activate its effect as though it was my own. And the trap effect that I'll be taking is that of Odin's Eye!"

"Oh no!" Halldor exclaimed shocked.

"And this means your gods' abilities are negated once more," Jayla added.

"Fine, what's it matter?" Halldor retorted. "Even without his ability, Odin has 4000 attack points which is more than enough to take down your Shooting Star Dragon. But don't take my word for it. See for yourself! Odin, attack!"

"I play Shooting Star Dragon's ability!" Jayla defended. "Now by removing Shooting Star Dragon from play during your turn, the attack of one of your monsters is negated." His dragon vanished.

"So what? Your field is now empty, Jayla. I'll just have one of my other two gods attack you now," Halldor responded.

She smirked. "I play the trap, Zero Force! Now, Halldor, because my monster left the field, your three Nordic Gods are about to lose all the power and might they each possess," she fought.

"That can't be!" Halldor exclaimed but Thor, Loki, and Odin's attack points dropped to zero. "But if they're points are zero, they can no longer attack!"

"And don't forget, at the end phase of this turn, the effect of your Gjallarhorn trap activates. And that means all monsters on your field will be removed from play and that I get damaged with the combined attack points of those monsters. However, since the attack points of your three gods now total just zero, I won't be taking any damage at all," Jayla added.

"No way…" Halldor muttered shocked.

"And now that we've reached this turn's end phase, Shooting Star Dragon rises again (Attack 3300/ Defense 3000)," she continued. "And with his rise comes your fall! Now go, Shooting Star! Attack!" The attack succeeded and Halldor's life points fell to zero.

Jayla and Halldor looked at each and nodded in respect before the Signer drove off to meet with her friends. When she was back, Yusei was there and she nodded at him while he had an approving grin on his face and the others congratulated her.

"We're not finished, yet though," Yusei stated and Jayla nodded.

"There's still Team New World, or better known as Yliaster, to deal with if we want to save the world," she stated.

"We'll win this," Crow stated. "I'm positive."

They all nodded. "This won't be an easy duel. After all, it is more than likely you'll end up facing real damage again," Yusei added. "And with the Meklord Emperors having those abilities of theirs… You need to be ready for anything." They nodded again in acceptance. _'I just hope it doesn't end the way I feel it will,'_ he added mentally.


	45. A Foreboding Card

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 45: A Foreboding Card

Jack took off like a bullet against Lester who was on his duel board. The audience laughed at the duel board he was riding, but Jack wasn't and neither was his team. This duel would be no laughing matter.

Jack ended up gaining the first turn. "I summon Dark Resonator (Attack 1300/ Defense 300) in defense mode. I then set three cards face down and end my turn," he declared.

Lester drew his card. "I summon Sky Core (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in defense position and also set three face downs. That ends my turn," he near copied.

Jack drew his card to begin his next turn. "I activate my face down Dimension Switch! This removes Dark Resonator from play. And since you have monsters on your field and I don't, I can special summon Gear Changer (Attack 1500/ Defense 700) in attack mode. And then I can activate its effect to increase its level by the level of your Sky Core (Gear Changer: Level 5). Now I send Dimension Switch to the graveyard to return Dark Resonator to the field in defense position. With him back, I tune Gear Changer with Dark Resonator to synchro summon. Show your might, Red Dragon Archfiend (Attack 3000/ Defense 2000)!" he called. "Now I normal summon Trust Guardian (Attack 0/ Defense 800). Next I can special summon Red Nova (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack mode since I control Red Dragon Archfiend. And then I will double tune Red Dragon Archfiend with Trust Guardian and Red Nova. Rise, Red Nova Dragon (Attack 3500/ Defense 3000)! And due to its effect, Red Nova Dragon gains 500 attack for each tuner monster in my graveyard. And there are three currently, meaning he gains 1500 attack points (Red Nova Dragon: Attack 5000). Red Nova Dragon, attack Sky Core!"

"I activate Twin Vortex! This destroys Sky Core and your dragon," Lester played.

"Well due to Red Nova Dragon's effect, it can't be destroyed by your card effects," Jack retorted meaning only Sky Core was destroyed.

"Well, since Sky Core was destroyed by card effect, it's effect activates which allows me to summon Meklord Emperor Skiel (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack mode, Skiel Top (Attack 600/ Defense 0) in attack mode, Skiel Attack (Attack 1000/ Defense 0) in attack mode, Skiel Guard (Attack 200/ Defense 300) in defense mode, and Skiel Carrier (Attack 400/ Defense 0) in attack mode. And due to the effect of Meklord Emperor Skiel, they will combine to create an even stronger monster (Attack 2200/ Defense 0)," Lester declared.

"Red Nova Dragon, attack Meklord Emperor Skiel!" Jack ordered.

"I activate the effect of Skiel Guard to negate the attack," Lester defended.

"I activate Power Pressure! Since a monster's attack was negated, I can deal you 1000 points of damage," the Signer fought.

"I activate Infinite Aura! This gains one Aura Counter for every 100 points of damage I take. And since I took 1000, it gains 10 counters (Aura Counters: 10)," the smallest Emperor played as his life points fell to 3000.

"I end my turn," Jack finished.

Lester drew. "I activate Meklord Emperor Skiel's effect to equip itself with Red Nova Dragon," he declared.

"I activate Red Nova Dragon's effect! It removes it from place and allows me to negate one attack this turn," Jack played.

"I set a card and end my turn," Lester finished.

"And since you've ended your turn, Red Nova Dragon returns!" Jack responded as his dragon rose up at a full 5000 attack. He drew his card. "I summon Force Resonator (Attack 500/ Defense 500) in attack mode. Now I activate the effect of Force Resonator. By sending it to the graveyard, I can prevent you from activating card effects that target Red Nova Dragon when it attacks this turn. Added, Red Nova Dragon gains an additional 500 points (Red Nova Dragon: Attack 5500)! Red Nova Dragon, attack Meklord Emperor Skiel!"

"I activate Infinite Prison! This takes Sky Core from my graveyard and sets it as a spell card by discarding Skiel Carrier 5," Lester fought.

Red Nova Dragon destroyed Meklord Emperor Skiel and the shrimp's life points fell to 0 while his Infinite Aura gained 30 more Counters making it a total of 40. And since Meklord Skiel Infinity had been removed from the field, all the other "Skiel" monsters were destroyed as well.

. . .

As Yusei watched Jack make the finishing blow, he couldn't help but worry. When he should've felt happy like the others that Jack had won, something didn't sit right with his win as Primo darted off to face Jack.

' _Jack defeated Lester way too easily,'_ Jayla thought, as uncertain of what was going on as Yusei.

Primo drew his card to begin his turn. "I summon Wise Core (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in defense position," he declared. "Next I activate the Speed Spell- Lightning Rod! This destroys Wise Core. And since Wise Core was destroyed, I can special summon Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack position, Wisel Top (Attack 500/ Defense 0) in attack position, Wisel Attack (Attack 1200/ Defense 0) in attack position, Wisel Guard (Attack 0/ Defense 1200) in defense position, and Wisel Carrier (Attack 800/ Defense 600) in attack position. And now due to Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity's effect, they will all combine to create Meklord Emperor Wisel (Attack 2500/ Defense 0)! Now I activate the effect of Meklord Emperor Wisel to equip it with your Red Nova Dragon."

"I activate Red Nova's effect! It removes my dragon from play until the end phase and allows me to negate one attack this turn," Jack defended.

"I activate my face down, Infinity Barrage! This inflicts 400 points of damage to you for every monster you control," Primo played and Jack's life points fell to 2000. "I set two cards and end my turn."

"And since it is the end phase, Red Nova Dragon rises again, (Red Nova Dragon: Attack 5500/ Defense 3000)!" Jack called as his dragon returned. He drew his card. "Red Nova Dragon, attack Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity!" Jack ordered.

"I activate Wisel Guard's effect to redirect the attack to it instead," Primo defended.

"I activate my face down, Burning Strike, and equip it to Red Nova Dragon. This card grants it the ability to inflict piercing damage," Jack fought.

"I activate Wise G3! By sending Wisel Guard to the graveyard, I can special summon Wisel Guard 3 (Attack 0/ Defense 2000) in defense position," Primo continued.

"Red Nova Dragon, attack Wisel Guard 3!" Jack ordered. Primo's monster wasn't destroyed due to its effect, but Red Nova still inflicted damage lowering Primo to 500 life points. Infinite Aura also activated giving its Aura Counters a total of 75.

"I activate Echo Mirror to draw a card and reveal it. If it's a monster, you will take damage equal to the monster's level times 300," Primo declared and drew his card. It ended up being level three Wisel Attack 3 and dropped Jack's life points down to 1100.

"I set a face down and end my turn," Jack declared.

" _Primo,"_ Jakob called over a secure line to Primo. _"What do you think you are doing? We need to stick to the plan."_

" _I will defeat Yusei before you need to bother,"_ Primo argued back.

" _5Ds is still confused as to what we're planning. We need to stick to the plan to ensure a win. If you go off on your own, we may end up losing. Stick with the plan, Primo,"_ Jakob ordered.

Primo growled in irritation submission. _"Right,"_ he agreed. _"Very well, I will stick with the plan."_ He turned back to the duel at hand. He drew his card to begin his turn. "I set two face downs and end my turn."

. . .

Leo then said in confusion, "Why didn't Primo counter or something? He must've had something to stop the attack."

"I don't know. It doesn't sit right," Yusei responded. "If I had to guess, it's most likely something to do with that Infinite Aura card. Both Lester and Primo seem to be losing life points on purpose to get counters on that thing. And I don't want to know what'll happen if they get enough counters on that thing."

"Then we need to destroy it before they can use its full effect," Crow stated.

"Right," Yusei agreed. "Leo, put out a warning card for Jack. Let him know that card needs to go."

"Right," Leo agreed and put it out.

. . .

As Jack drove, he got the message saying to destroy Infinite Aura. He then called, "I activate my face down, Synchro Sonic! Since I control at least one synchro monster, I can destroy Infinite Aura."

"I activate Infinite Guard Formation! By negating the effects of all the effect monsters I control, I can negate the effect of Synchro Sonic (Meklord Emperor Wisel: Attack 0)," Primo defended.

"Red Nova Dragon, attack Meklord Emperor Wisel!" Jack ordered. Primo's monsters and life points fell while Infinite Aura's Aura Counters increases to 80.

"I activate Infinite Prison! This takes Wise Core from my graveyard and sets it as a spell card by discarding Wisel Attack 3," Primo finished.

. . .

Yusei didn't like this. Whatever Jakob had planned, it wasn't going to be good. Espeically since it seemed that their Infinite Aura card was going to be used soon. Too soon, and Yusei was more than worried of its effect.


	46. Granel's Danger

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 46: Granel's Danger

Jakob took to the field. "I summon Grand Core (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in defense mode and then activate Explosive Blast to destroy Grand Core and deal 400 points of damage to you," he declared and Jack's life points fell to 700. "And since Grand Core was destroyed by card effect and send to the graveyard, I can special summon Meklord Emperor Granel (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack position, Granel Top (Attack 500/ Defense 0) in attack position, Granel Attack (Attack 1300/ Defense 0) in attack position, Granel Guard (Attack 500/ Defense 1000) in defense position, and Granel Carrier (Attack 700/ Defense 700) in attack position. And due to its effect, my monsters will combine into one and its attack and defense points increase to become equal to my life points (Meklord Emperor Granel: Attack 4000/ Defense 4000). And then I activate Speed Spell- Takeover to destroy Infinite Aura. By destroying that card, I can life points equal to the total number of counters it had times 100." Jakob's life points increased to 12000, as did Meklord Emperor Granel's attack and defense. "I set a card face down. Now, Meklord Emperor Granel, attack Red Nova Dragon!"

"I activate Red Nova Dragon's effect to remove it from play and allow me to negate one attack," Jack defended.

"I activate Granel Top's effect, which negates your dragon's effect until the end phase," Jakob fought and the blast hit, destroying Jack's monster and Jack's life points. "And since Granel destroyed a synchro monster in battle, I activate Granel Attack's effect to take Red Nova Dragon from the graveyard and equip it to Meklord Emperor Granel. And now due to the effect of Meklord Emperor Granel, it gains attack equal to the attack of Red Nova Dragon (Meklord Emperor Granel: Attack 15500."

Jack came in badly hurt from the final assault. Yusei called to Crow, "Be careful, Crow. Do not take this duel lightly at all."

"Right," Crow agreed and took off.

Yusei began to use his power to heal the most of Jack's injuries to the best of his ability.

It was Crow's turn to duel and the odds were not good whatsoever. Team 5Ds were not ready to feel at all like they were going to win with Jakob's Meklord Emperor Granel hosting a total of 15,500 attack points.

' _And I had thought Paradox's Malefic Truth Dragon was powerful, but this was a whole different level. Especially since it can also take synchro monsters from the graveyard if they were destroyed by battle and Granel Top can negate a monster's effect,'_ Yusei thought. _'Crow, be careful.'_

Crow drew his card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2! By removing ten speed counters, I can destroy your Meklord Emperor Granel," he declared.

"I activate my face down, Infinity Wall. This negates all card effects that would destroy any cards I control this turn," Jack defended.

"Well then, I summon Blackwing- Steam the Cloaked (Attack 800/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. And since I control a Blackwing monster, I can special summon Blackwing- Bora the Spear (Attack 1700/ Defense 800) from my hand in attack mode," Crow responded. "I then remove my turn monsters from play to special summon Blackwing- Aurora the Northern Lights (Attack 0/ Defense 0) from my hand with its effect. ANd due to its effect, its level becomes the combined levels of the two removed monsters (Blackwing- Aurora the Northern Lights: Level 7). And since Steam the Cloaked left the fields, its effect activates, special summon Steam Token (Attack 100/ Defense 100) in attack mode. Now with the second effect of Aurora, I can remove from play Blackwing Armor Master from my extra deck to make the attack and effects of Aurora the Northen Lights as Blackwing Armor Master until my next Standby Phase (Blackwing- Aurora the Northern Lights: Attack 2500).' Crow then thought, _'By attacking Meklord Emperor Granel with Aurora, I can place a Wedge Counter on Meklord Emperor Granel at the end of the the damage step. I could then remove the counter to reduce the attack of Meklord Emperor Granel to 0. That would activate the effect of my Steam Token, which will remove Meklord Emperor Granel from play and destroying all the parts of his monster.'_ He then ordered. Aurora, attack Meklord Emperor Granel!"

"I activate the effect of Granel Guard! This treats the Red Nova Dragon (Attack 3500/ Defense 3000) equipped to Granel as a face up attack position monster in the Spell and Trap Card Zone during the damage step only and changing the attack target to it," Jakob defended.

Due to the effects granted to Aurora from Blackwing Armor Master, it wasn't destroyed and Crow took no battle damage. At the end of the damage step, the Wedge counter was about to be placed on Red Nova Dragon, but the dragon became an equip card again and the counter was void.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," Crow finished and Steam Token destroyed itself due to its own effect.

Jakob drew his card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2! By removing ten speed counters, I can destroy your Aurora the Northern Lights," he declared and Crow's monster shattered. "Meklord Emperor Granel, attack him directly!"

"I special summon Blackwing Ghibli the Searing Wind (Attack 0/ Defense 1600) from my hand in defense position," Crow defended.

"Well, then, Meklord Emperor Granel, destroy his Blackwing- Ghibli the Searing Wind!" Jakob fought.

"As a Winged-beast monster with 1000 or less attack points was destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, I can activate my face down, Black Wing Revenge! This allows me to special summon two Blackwing- Black Crest Tokens (Attack 0/ Defense 800) in defense position. And then I activate my other face down, Blackboost to draw two cards as I control at least two Blackwing Monsters," Crow responded.

"I activate the effect of Granel Attack! This treats Red Nova Dragon equipped to my Meklord Emperor as an attack position monster during the battle phase only and also allows Red Nova Dragon to inflict piercing damage, though it can't attack directly. So, Red Nova Dragon, attack one of those Black Crest Tokens!" Red Nova Dragon attacked and destroyed one of Crow's monsters and Crow's life points fell to 1300. "I set a face down and end my turn."

Crow drew his card. "I tribute my Black Crest Token to tribute summon. Rise up, Blackwing- Hillen the Tengu-wind (Attack 0/ Defense 2300) in defense mode," he declared. "I set two face downs and end my turn."

Jakob drew his card. "I activate Granel Attack's effect once again and target Red Nova Dragon for it. Red Nova Dragon, attack Hillen the Tengu-wind!" he ordered. The attacked destroyed Crow's monster and dropped Crow to 100 life points. "Meklord Emperor Granel, attack his directly!"

The attack hit and Crow's life points fell to zero, but Crow called, "I activate Blackwing- Hillen the Tengu-wind's effect to revive itself (Attack 0/ Defense 2300) and Blackwing- Ghibli the Searing Wind (Attack 0/ Defense 1600) in attack position. Then I activate my face down Urgent Tuning to tune Ghibli with Hillen to synchro summon a synchro monster in defense mode. Soar, Black-Winged Dragon (Attack 2800/ Defense 1600)!"

Due to the rules of the World Racing Grand Prix, it immediately went to Jakob's end phase meaning Red Nova Dragon became an equip card again. Crow passed the baton to Jayla while Yusei turned to help the most recently injured Signer.

' _This ends in this duel,'_ Jayla thought determined.


	47. Future and Past

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 47: Future and Past

"With both teams down to their last duelists, the World Racing Grand Prix final is reaching its climax," the MC called.

' _Why did Crow leave Jayla a synchro monster? Since it's a synchro, it will just become food for my Meklord Emperor Granel and Jayla will be sent to hell,'_ Jakob thought.

"Crow's move is foolish," Lester mocked over the com.

"Ignore Lester, Jakob and focus on Jayla. Jayla is the real threat," Primo told their leader.

"You're overestimating Jayla," Lester commented.

. . .

In the booth with Team 5Ds, Akiza wondered, "Why would Crow summon Black-Winged Dragon?"

"I'm not sure, after what happened to Red Nova Dragon," Bruno answered. "If Black-Winged Dragon is also absorbed by that thing, it will all be over."

Crow was placed in an infirmary with Jack and Trudge looking at him. "I hope Jayla uses his card well," Trudge commented.

. . .

' _I know why Crow left Black-Winged Dragon to me. Throughout all the hardship we've experienced in this tournament, we didn't fight with our individual decks. We fought using three decks,'_ Jayla thought on the duel field. With her at 4000 life points and Jakob at 12,000, she drew her card to begin her turn. "I summon Wave Wall (Attack 0/ Defense 2000) in defense mode. I then set two cards face down and end my turn," she declared. She looked at Crow's dragon. _'You can count on me, Crow.'_

"Though you know the path of their destruction, you still think you can win with synchro monsters. You're pitiful and I will make you disappear," Jakob comments and drew his card. "Meklord Emperor Granel, attack Black-Winged Dragon!"

"I activate the effect of Wave Wall! Since I control a synchro monster, I can negate your attack," Jayla defended. "And let's not forget, since Granel is five monsters being treated as one, it can only attack once."

"Since my Meklord Emperor monster didn't destroy your monster that it attacked by battle, I can activate this: Attack Cannon! So by releasing Granel Attack, I can destroy your pathetic synchro," Jakob fought.

"I activate another card Crow left for me. Shadow Impulse! With this, I am able to summon a synchro from my extra deck with the same level and type as the synchro monster just destroyed, but its attack becomes zero and its effects are negated," Jayla retorted. "And I choose Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)."

"Don't get too conceited for surviving the attack. Your bonds are to be destroyed by Granel anyway," Jakob told her. "Regardless of how much it struggles, an ant cannot defeat an elephant. An elephant will not recognize a small existence like an ant passing by. Team New World are the elephants trying to change history, while you, Team 5Ds, are just ants who can do nothing but pass by." Jayla glared. "I summon Granel Attack 3 (Attack 1800/ Defense 0). Now since I have four speed counters, I activate the Speed Spell- Silent Burn! This inflicts 300 points of damage to you for each monster that didn't attack. Feel the power of an elephant!" Jayla's life points fell to 2800 and she swerved a bit from the force of the assault, but regained control. "Had you crashed there, you would have spared yourself further pain that awaits you. I set one face down and end my turn."

"I'm not going to give up my fight against you trying to change history. I'll keep fighting no matter what," Jayla vowed.

"That is foolishness as far as I'm concerned. There is no hope for you. I will show you what the future is like," Jakob told her. The Infinity symbol on Jakob's mouth cover lit up and a larger infinity symbol appeared in the sky while the Signers' Marks of the Dragon all lit up as well.

"Why is Jakob showing them that?" Lester asked shocked.

"Jakob, stop now!" Primo ordered.

The symbol in the sky activated and Team 5Ds' minds are transported elsewhere.

. . .

They find themselves on what appeared to be another world. "Where are we?" Leo wondered.

"I don't know," Akiza responded.

"I've seen this scene before…" Jayla muttered. They looked below them to see Duel Monsters sealed in stone slabs in a red wasteland.

"This looks like a graveyard," Jack commented.

Suddenly, Akiza spotted something. "Hey! Is that…?" she stopped as they saw the rings from the center of New Domino's bridge network.

' _This has to be a lie,'_ Jayla thought, trying to convince herself.

Primo, Jakob, and Lester then appeared before them. "You shall be shown the truth of the future," Jakob told them.

"Is this the future of New Domino?" Jayla asked.

"It all began with synchro summons," Jakob informed as the scenery changed to a few years previous. At the appearing time, the city was brighter and in working order. There were a number of floating structures above the city; a number of turbo duelist shown on a road all synchro summonings; in an arena for ground dueling, a hologram of a cowgirl held up Naturia Leodrake while other duelists all around her raised their synchro monsters too. "Both the world and dueling had evolved and people became more obsessed with dueling. Synchro summoned even became a synchro for this town." Duel Academy was show where a teacher was explaining synchro by pointing to a projection showing Plaguespreader Zombie and Marauding Captain being used to synchro summon Ally of Justice Catastor. "At this time, duel runners and synchro summons grew rapidly, both of which were linked to Ener-D. The Ener-D's rotation speed continually increased as the world evolved, but the evolution was too quick."

Lester laughed. "The evolution was indeed incredible," he stated and kept laughing.

"Shut up," Primo told the younger member.

Suddenly an army of Meklord Emperors appeared and the people in the city all looked up in surprise. But the Meklord Emperors then started attacking and destroying the city. Leo pointed below to where Lester was visible, running with his mother and father.

"That is his memory of this age," Lester told them. Below Lester and his parents were struck by a blast from one of the emperors. Lester survived, but his parents were killed.

The scenery then changed slightly and Primo said, "This is my memory." In the memory, Primo was with a girl inside a destroyed building, both of them armed. After a Meklord Emperor Granel passed, they both shot at it, doing some damage. They looked at each other in triumph, but then the building is shot at the girl is killed. Primo cried out loud and the Meklord Emperor appeared in front of him and the man shot at the robot in anger while Team 5Ds watched in horror.

"The greed of humanity had finally reached its peak," Jakob explained. "At that time, the Ener-D suddenly became uncontrollable as it reacted to the greed. The Ener-D went berserk and caused explosions all across the world."

"No way! Ener-D wouldn't go out of control again," Yusei refused to believe.

"I am telling the truth. I will show you my memory of the world that had been destroyed by humanity's foolishness," Jakob stated as the scenery shifted in a destroyed world. The visionary Jakob was dressed in rags and walking through the destroyed city, devoid of any other people. The present day Jakob continued, "I was the chosen one, although I didn't know if it was through luck or misfortune. As the only survivor, I wandered around, but nobody could hear my voice."

' _This isn't the future. The other deities and I wouldn't allow it,'_ Yusei thought. _'If this happened, it would only be because the gods died which is near impossible.'_

. . .

Team 5Ds all snapped out of the vision as they appeared back in present day. "Will synchro summoning really lead to that world?" Jayla wondered quietly. "No, it won't. I won't believe it will."

"Are you trying to escape fate?" Jakob asked.

"You're lying about synchro summoning causing that future. I know you are," she accused. "The deities of this universe wouldn't allow a future like that to happen unless death took them away from this universe. And if they did die, there wouldn't even be a universe for that future to take a part of. So it's not possible."

"That kind of ignorance is what led to the destruction," Jakob commented.

"We can decide the fate of the future ourselves," Jayla told him sternly. She drew her card to continue the duel. "First I summon Mono Synchron (Attack 0/ Defense 0) and use its effect to change the level of Wave Wall to 1. Now I tune Wave Wall with Mono Synchron. Clustering hope will open the new speed's horizon. Become the path its light shines upon. Synchro summon! The power of hope, synchro tuner, Formula Synchron (Attack 200/ Defense 1500). Our bonds will open the path to a better future. I tune Stardust Dragon with Formula Synchron. Clustering dreams and hopes will open the door onto evolution. Become the path its light shines upon. Accel synchro!" She disappeared for a moment before appeared again after a pulse wave. "Be born, Shooting Star Dragon (Attack 3300/ Defense 2500)! Next I activate Shooting Star Dragon's effect. With it I can check the top five cards on my deck for tuner monster and then shuffle it. And for every tuner monster I draw, I can attack one time." The full Mark of the Crimson Dragon appeared on her back and she drew the cards. She revealed them and saw she drew all five. "I drew five, Jakob. And that means I can attack five times." Shooting Star Dragon attack Granel Attack 3 to start.

"I use the effect of Granel Guard to redirect the attack to Red Nova Dragon. And since Red Nova Dragon has 3300 attack points, it will destroy your monster," Jakob played.

"Not quite, I activate Synchro Striker Unit! This raises its attack to 4300," Jayla fought.

"Due to Granel Carrier's effect, I can prevent Red Dragon Archfiend from being destroyed once per turn," Jakob defended but he still took damage and his life points were lowered to 11,200 and the attack of Meklord Emperor Granel became 14,700.

The second Shooting Star Dragon attacked Red Nova Dragon, destroying it. Both Jakob's life points and the attack of Granel fell to 10,400. The third attacked Granel Attack 3 and the fourth went at Granel Top dropping the opposing team's member to 4100. And the final Shooting Star Dragon attacked Meklord Emperor Granel Infinity destroying it along with Granel Guard and Granel Carrier while leaving Jakob's life points with 3900.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," Jayla finished while the effect of Synchro Striker Unit caused Shooting Star Dragon to lose 800 attack points, lowering it to 3500. She sped ahead so her duel runner was beside Jakob's. "This is our power towards the future. Synchro summon and Accel Synchro summon have stopped Yliaster's ambitions."

"Are you sure you see to see my future that badly?" Jakob asked. "Thanks to you, my field is now reduced to burnt land." That reminded Jayla of the wasteland from the future vision. "Not to worry." Lester and Primo quickly joined him. "Aporia will fix that."

"Aporia? What is that?" Jayla asked.

"Lester, Primo, and I are three beings that strive towards justice and bring hope into this world. The time has come for us to become one," Jakob explained vaguely. The infinity symbol over his mouth glowed followed by a larger one lighting up the sky again. Then the ones over Lester and Primo's eyes glowed as well. Jakob ejected and flies towards an infinity symbol.

Lester and Primo's bodies merge into Jakob's. His face now bears the three infinity symbols from Jakob's mouth, Primo's right eye, and Lester's left eye and form into a mask as the body changed form. As soon as the transformation was complete, the mask disappeared.

Jayla looked up in surprise as the new person came down while Lester's duel board and Primo's duel runner drove up alongside Jakob's duel runner. The three vehicles glowed and transformed before combining to create a new duel runner. The new person came down and parts of his body opened and revealed connection ports. An array of wires are sent from the duel runner and connected into the man and combined with his new vehicle and he fired his cards into their slots on the runner.

"Who are you?" Jayla asked in shock.

The new man opened his eyes and said, "I am Aporia, the Guardian of Despair."


	48. Last Chance

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 48: Last Chance

"Who are you?" Jayla asked in shock.

The new man opened his eyes and said, "I am Aporia, the Guardian of Despair. This is my true form. The Three Pure Nobles were separate aspects of a single being. You are as a duelist as he ascribed him to be. I had predicted that you would topple the Meklord Emperor, and with this, the Grand Design is now close to completion."

"What are you getting at?" she asked.

. . .

In the pit, Yusei commented, "He's the embodiment of the powerful darkness the deities and I have been sensing. All that darkness… it was that man." The others gave him shocked and worried looks. "Jayla needs to be ready for a fight. A darkness this power will not go down without a serious fight."

"Will she be alright, Yusei?" Luna asked.

"I honestly don't know," he replied. "But I feel like she will. We just have to keep hope in her." They gave a slow nod before returning to the duel.

. . .

Aporia ignored her as he began his turn, "I activate Infinite Prison. By discarding Infinity Force, I can take Grand Core from my graveyard and set it as a spell card. I then use the second effect of Infinite Prison; By sending itself to the graveyard, I can take the cards set by its first effect and add them to my hand." Sky Core, Wise Core, and Grand Core were projected out of the Spell and Trap Card Zone and returned to Aporia's hand. "Total despair. A new power stronger than anything you have seen is about to descend. I activate Meklord Emperor Creation!" He threw the three Core cards into the air. "I am sending them to the graveyard to special summon my own ace monster: Meklord Astro Mekanikle (Attack 4000/ Defense 4000)!" In an instant, the Core cards combine and reform into the monster. It was a massive white and gold robot, which fired a beam into the sky causing lightning to appear and strike the city. "Heroes shall witness the power of Meklord Astro Mekanikle, the Devil of Despair! My monster can absorb a synchro monster once per turn, and increasing its attack by that of the absorbed synchro monster." Meklord Astro Mekanikle launched an array of beams at Shooting Star Dragon.

"I activate the effect of Shooting Star Dragon to remove itself from play," Jayla defended.

"I use another one of Mekanikle's effects. It can use the effect of any Meklord Emperor component I discard from my hand. I send Granel Guard 3, allowing Mekanikle to negate the activation of the effect of Shooting Star Dragon," Aporia fought and her monster was taken by Meklord Astro Mekanikle while the giant robot's attack rose to 7300.

' _Not good,'_ she thought.

"I stand before you as the door to despair. You will come to understand the despair that I have tasted," Aporia told her. "In order to fight that despair, I came to this era as three separate entities."

"What do you mean by that?" Jayla asked.

"The reason I broke off into the Three Pure Nobles, knowns as Jakob, Lester and Primo…" he trailed off before Jayla and the others found themselves back in the future visions.

. . .

They looked to see a dome below them with someone inside. The man looked like Jakob dressed in tattered clothing. "Why did this happen?" the man asked.

"Jakob," Jayla muttered. But she then realized the truth. "No, it's Aporia."

The vision Aporia dropped to his knees. "Is anyone there?"

The present day Aporia began to narrate, "I witnessed the point in history where humanity met its end. I had thought I was the lone survivor and trembled in despair. But then three survivors came up to me: Z-One, Paradox, and Antinomy." Z-One held out his hand to Aporia. "We are the last survivors of this world; and as the only ones who live, we have an important mission to fulfill." The four survivors gathered in a building. Z-One held out his hand next to a stone, causing it to stand. "Our mission was to dispose of the core power of Ener-D, which took out the world, in order to create hope for the future. The four of us father the remainder of that power and sought to find a solution, which could restore mankind and the ruined world. However, that turned out to be reckless and naïve thinking. We performed endless experiments until I was the one of my friends left alive." As he explained this Antinomy and Paradox were seen in capsules with Aporia standing over them and Z-One in a machine. "I had been left alone and powerless again." The vision changed so that now Aporia was in a capsule and Z-One looking over him.

The vision Aporia said, "There is no future here. Z-One, please listen to what I have to say. My soul exists as three embodiments of despair: First, the despair I suffered after I lost those who loved me; Second, the despair I suffered after losing the one I loved; And thirdly, the despair I suffered after having no one left to love. Using the power I possess, I plan to split my soul into these three embodiments of despair. Z-One, use me as your servant. I am confident you will bring back hope and the future."

"I promise to do so," Z-One vowed and Aporia died with that.

. . .

Team 5Ds then returned once again to the current time and location. "Following that, I was reborn as three embodiments of despair. Under the names Lester, Primo, and Jakob, I created Yliaster in order to keep the promise I made to my friends; to prevent the downfall of the future. For that purpose, I plan to eliminate all traces of New Domino City's history. By destroying the source of Ener-D, I will save the future. And I will achieve this through Team New World's victory over Team 5Ds, which will cause the city to perish and the future to change," Aporia finished.

"I don't think so," Jayla disagreed.

"Now that my three embodiments of despair have joined back into one entity, you have no chance of victory. Witness the extent of my power born from despair!" Aporia called and launched a number of beams from his body, which struck and destroyed parts of the city, including a portion of the turbo duel circuit in front of us. The two of us ramped off the broken circuit and onto the road below.

Jayla looked up to see the building high above. "The only way to stop it is to win the duel," I remarked.

Aporia then said returning her attention to the duel, "Since I have absorbed Shooting Star Dragon, you have no hope left. All that is left is the black pit of despair for you to experience."

As they drove through the streets, Aporia's large duel runner smashed through parked cars, sending them flying and causing citizens to run for cover. _'I need to get somewhere void of citizens,'_ she thought.

"Mekanikle, attack Jayla directly!" Aporia ordered.

As the attack headed for her, Jayla spotted a young girl up ahead in the middle of the road, crying for her mother. "I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow to negate the attack!" she declared while pulling her duel runner to stop in front of the girl. Jayla told the girl, "Get out of here!" She didn't hesitate and once she was a safe distance away, Jayla hurried off. _'I need to lure Aporia into the old BAD area. There's no people to be harmed in that area,'_ she thought and lured Aporia onto the bridges.

"It is futile," Aporia stated. "I set a card. And when I end my turn, the effect of Mekanikle activates, sending the synchro monster I absorbed to the graveyard and you will be dealt with damage equal to the attack of the synchro monster. With you having 2800 and the attack of Shooting Star Dragon 3300, your demise is inevitable."

"I don't think so," Jayla argued. "This is why. I activate Wild Tornado! This destroys Shooting Star Dragon."

Aporia growled. "I end my turn," he finished.

Jayla drew her card to begin her turn. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2. By removing 7 speeed counters, I can draw one card." I drew it. "I summon Salvagent (Attack 300/ Defense 800)! But it's not staying for long. By releasing it, I can negate the effect of a synchro monster in my graveyard and special summon it in defense mode. So I call back, Shooting Star Dragon (Attack 3300/ Defense 2500)! And due to another effect of Salvagent, it is no longer treated as a synchro monster. With that, I end my turn with two face downs."

Aporia laughed. "You called out a synchro monster by throwing away its effects?" he mocked. "My victory in this duel will bring forth destruction and within that destruction lies the door to a new future."

"There is no way a new future can be born from destruction," Jayla retorted.

"I will prove that it can. Through the history Yliaster has created with their own hands," Aporia argued. He drew his card. "I use the effect of Speed World 2 to remove 7 speed counters and draw one card, as well. I send Wisel Attack 5 to the graveyard to give its effect to Mekanikle. So my monster can now inflict piercing damage equal to double the difference."

"I still have Scrap-Iron Scarecrow," she reminded him.

"That is useless. Since Wisel Attack 5 has an attack, it prevents the activation of my opponent's trap cards when it attacks," Aporia retorted. "What do you think of the taste of despair?" He then laughed maniacally. "I will emerge victorious next turn and the Grand Design will be complete. When that happens, the limitless amounts of Ener-D will be released and the Divine Temple will appear in order to guide New Domino. The destruction will lead to the start of a new future free of despair!"

' _What can I do to destroy Meklord Astro Mekanikle?'_ she thought.

"We shall go to a new future," Aporia bragged.

Jack and Crow came up and met with Jayla by the duel. "What're you doing here?" she asked knowing both Jack and Crow were still hurt to some extent.

"We've come to join you," Jack told her.

"We still have a battle to finish," Crow added.

"It's too dangerous with you still injured from losing to Jakob," Jayla argued.

"We don't care," Crow told her. "This burden doesn't just belong to you. We should be sharing it." She nodded slowly.

' _Wait, I haven't used the card Jack left for me yet!'_ she realized. _'Since the cards contain the bonds between the three of us, I can't lose.'_

"Meklord Astro Mekanikle, attack that Shooting Star Dragon! Cube of Despair!" Aporia ordered.

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Jayla called.

"That move is useless as the effect of Wisel Attack 5 negates and destroys trap cards," Aporia stated and my card was destroyed, but that didn't faze her.

"But you forget, you can only destroy one trap card," she reminded my opponent. "I activate the card Jack left for me, Revenge Twin Soul! By removing two synchro monsters in my graveyard from play, Shooting Star Dragon gains defense equal to their combined levels time 100. So I remove Red Nova Dragon and Black-Winged Dragon, giving Shooting Star Dragon 2000 more defense points (Shooting Star Dragon: Defense 4500). And if the attacking monster's attack is lower than the target monster's defense, the attack monster is also destroyed." Shooting Star Dragon was hit by the blast and deflected it back at Mekanikle.

"I activate the effect of Mekanikle! By removing a Meklord Emperor component in my graveyard from play, I can negate its destruction," Aporia defended. "So I remove Granel Carrier." Mekanikle was saved but he still took damage dropping his life points to 3400. "I must admit, Jayla, you are stronger than I had thought. But resistance is futile. All will still be lost. I set a card face down and end my turn." And because of it, Revenge Twin Soul's effect wore off and returned Shooting Star Dragon's defense to 2500.

"It's time for a counterattack," Crow told her.

Jayla nodded and drew her card. "First I activate the Speed Spell- Angel Baton! This allows me to draw two cards by sending one to the graveyard. And then I activate my face down, Dimension Voyage! This allows me to special summon as many of my removed from play synchro monsters as I can. So I call forth Red Nova Dragon and Black-Winged Dragon!" she declared and the dragons returned. "The turn those monsters are special special summoned, their effect are negated and cannot attack but are removed from play during the end phase."

"What are you planning to do with monsters that can't attack or use their effects?" Jayla heard Aporia wonder but ignored him.

"I switch Shooting Star Dragon to attack mode and activate Trust Chain! This allows me to increase the attack of Shooting Star Dragon by the total attack of all synchro monster I control, but prevents synchro monsters from attacking (Shooting Star Dragon: Attack 9600)," she continued.

"You've done it!" Jack exclaimed.

"Our bonds will bring us through despair," Crow added.

"No amount of despair can affect our bonds, which will carve a new future for ourselves," I told them. "Shooting Star Dragon, attack Mekanikle!"

"Have you not realized yet that true despair cannot be beaten so easily?" Aporia asked her. "I activate Banishing Climb! It removes all synchro monsters from play." A hole cracked into the sky which sucked Red Nova Dragon and Black-Winged Dragon into it before it resealed itself. "And without them, your Shooting Star Dragon returns to 3300 attack."

"I activate the other effect of Trust Chain! By sending it to the graveyard, I can end the battle phase and cancel the attack," Jayla defended and her dragon returned to her side.

Aporia growled, "And that means Banishing Climb's effect wears off as well returning your other pathetic synchro monsters to the field." Her friends' other monsters returned to the field. "End your turn quickly, Jayla. How will you deal with true despair?"

"I set a card face down and end my turn," she finished.

"I activate the effect of Mekanikle to equip itself with Red Nova Dragon and gain its attack," Aporia declared and the monster was sucked into the machine while Meklord Astro Mekanikle's attack rose to 7500. "Next I send Granel Top 5 from my hand to the graveyard so my monster can gain its effects. And its effect allows me to absorb another synchro monster, like your Black-Winged Dragon!" Mekanikle's attack sprung up to 10,300. "Watch as I change the future! The victor is already decided. With 10,300 attack, one attack from Mekanikle is enough to end it all and the new future will be realized." He grinned confidently. "So, Mekanikle, attack Shooting Star Dragon!"

"I activate the effect of Guard Master!" Jayla played. "By removing it from my graveyard from play, I can change Shooting Star Dragon to defense mode and make it unable to be destroyed by battle." The attack is deflected from Shooting Star Dragon and hit a nearby building, damaging it.

"I activate another effect of Mekanikle! By sending a synchro monster equipped to it to the graveyard, I can inflict damage to you equal to the attack of that monster. So I send Red Nova Dragon to the graveyard (Meklord Astro Mekanikle: Attack 6800) and deal you 3500 points of damage!" Aporia fought

"I activate Hardship!" Jayla defended. "This lowers the attack and defense of Shooting Star Dragon to zero, but also lowers the effect damage inflicted by Mekanikle to zero."

"Then I shall use the effect of Mekanikle again, sending Black-Winged Dragon to the graveyard this time," Aporia declared.

' _Why would he do that? Hardship will only reduce the damage again,'_ she wondered. Black-Winged Dragon was sent to the graveyard lowering Aporia's monster back to 4000 attack points. "I activate Hardship once again to prevent that damage."

Once it resolved, though, Aporia called, "I activate Infinite Feast! This reequips Black-Winged Dragon and Red Nova Dragon to Mekanikle and inflicts 600 points of damage per monster to you for each time for each time Mekanikle has been equipped this turn."

"And since the two dragons were equipped during the Standby Phase and End Phase, Jayla will take 2400 points of damage," Jack calculated.

"I really wish Jayla had Black-Winged Dragon to negate that damage," Crow muttered.

"Eat this!" Aporia ordered angrily and the blast hit her hard as my life points fell to 400. Jayla barely managed to regain control of her duel runner after the blast. "And now I gain another 600 life points." Aporia's life points returned to a full 4000. And with two synchro monsters equipped, Mekanikle was back to 10,300 attack points. "I end my turn there. Next turn will be when I settle anything.

' _With only 400 life points left, if I take anymore damage I'll lose,'_ she thought worried.

"Don't hesitate, Jayla," Jack told her. "Our bonds are not broken so easily."

"Our bonds will lead us to victory," Crow added.

Jayla looked at her glowing mark. _'I haven't lost hope,'_ she thought. _'This last card is my find hope. My cards, please answer my call.'_ The cards glowed and she drew. "I activate the effect of Hardship, destroying it and Shooting Star Dragon."

"Why would you destroy your own monster?" Aporia asked surprised.

"Because it also destroys all equip cards on the field, including Red Nova Dragon and Black-Winged Dragon," she answered and the attack of Mekanikle returned to its original 4000.

"Your field is now empty. You have no way to defeat my Meklord," Aporia told me.

"My turn isn't over. I summon Mystic Piper. And now I release it to draw a card and if that card is a monster, I can draw another," Jayla declared and she drew Sonic Chick, allowing me to draw again saying, "In my hand lies hope. I activate my face down, Ghoul Summoner! This revives a synchro monster destroyed this turn and equips it to this card. So I summon Black-Winged Dragon (Attack 2800/ Defense 1600)!"

"Do you not get it? Synchro monsters are no match for Mekanikle," Aporia asked.

"I activate the other effect of Ghoul Summoner, allowing me to discard one card and revive another synchro monster and take damage equal to its attack," Jayla played. "And I choose Red Nova Dragon (Attack 3500/ Defense 3000)."

"Are you really going to take that damage?" the opponent wondered.

"Black-Winged Dragon has an effect. It gains one Black Feather Counter and loses 700 attack, but also negates the damage," Crow pointed out and Black-Winged Dragon took the damage while its attack lowered to 2100.

"And Red Nova Dragon gains 500 attack for every tuner monster in the graveyard (Red Nova Dragon: Attack 4500)," Jack added.

"I then use the effect of Ghoul Summoner again. By discarding another card, I can revive Shooting Star Dragon (Attack 3300/ Defense 2500)," she called and Crow's dragon gained another counter while lowering to 1400 attack.

"Summoning three synchro monsters in one turn? Is this the true power of a Signer?" Aporia wondered in shock.

"The despair will be overpowered by hope," Jayla told him. "I then activate the effect of Black-Winged Dragon! By removing the two Black Feather Counters on it, I can reduce the effect of your Meklord Astro Mekanikle by 700 for each and inflict the same damage to you." The attack of Mekanikle and Aporia's life points fell to 2600 while Black-Winged Dragon returned to a normal 2800.

"And now Black-Winged Dragon has enough attack to surpass your monster," Crow pointed out.

"Black-Winged Dragon, attack Meklord Astro Mekanikle! Noble Stream!" she ordered. Aporia's life points fell to 2400, though the opposing member used the effect of Mekanikle to remove a Meklord Emperor component in his graveyard from play, being Granel Guard, to prevent its destruction.

"Take the match, Jayla," Jack told her.

"Red Nova Dragon, attack Mekanikle as well! Burning Soul!" she continued. Aporia's life points fell to 500, but he removed Granel Attack from play to prevent his monster's destruction.

"I… I'm going to lose!" Aporia realized in utter shock.

"Our hope has surpassed your despair," Jayla proclaimed. "Shooting Star Dragon, finish this now! Attack with Stardust Mirage!" Her dragon attacked and destroyed Mekanikle and finished off Aporia's life points.

"How could my plan fail?! It couldn't have after coming so far!" Aporia exclaimed devastated. He reached out his hand which suddenly blew up.

Jack, Crow, and Jayla pulled over to the side of the road as Aporia's damaged runner sped past us and ramped into the water where it blew to pieces. The three Signers demounted our runners.

"Nice win, Jayla," Jack complimented.

"The three of us did it," she stated. "We need to hurry back before I need to go get the demons off of this planet and back where they belong." Her friends nodded and they returned to the stadium.


	49. Final Action

**A/N: I OWN NO PART YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN ARE MY OCS!**

Chapter 49: Final Action

The twins, Bruno, Yusei, and Akiza rushed over to congratulate us once we arrived and they were quickly followed by Mina, Carly, and Stephanie who hurried to compliment Jack. Trudge, Team Ragnarok, and Elsworth also came and began to praise us.

"Thanks, guys," Jayla told them.

"Think it's over, Yusei?" Luna asked her.

"For you, yes," he answered. "What we need to worry about now is keeping that future that Yliaster supposedly came from from happening."

"Right," we agreed.

"We'll make sure of it," Jayla assured and we all smiled in relief that it was all over.

"Wait, what do you mean 'for you'? Like us alone," Crow asked. "What do you think you're doing?" There was a slight shake in the ground and they saw a light begin to form over in Satellite. "What is that?"

"With all the energy formed by the duels here which is enough as it is along with my deity energy combined with it and unused, the energy is beginning to break its containment," Yusei explained.

"Meaning…?" Leo pressed.

"Meaning if I don't go contain it with my power in the next couple minutes, it'll cause an explosion that will destroy the world you know," he explained.

"But that'll kill you!" Luna exclaimed worriedly.

"It will," he responded grimly. "Another god or goddess will take my place as the deity of wind."

"Yusei, you can't do that!" Akiza exclaimed.

"I understand how you feel," Yusei replied. "But facts are, I have to. This is goodbye and the last time we will ever see each other. Forever."

Luna and Leo grabbed onto Yusei tight. "Please, Yusei…" the female twin muttered.

"I'm sorry," he responded before phasing through their holding and taking to the air.

"Wait, so that Futen is literally sacrificing himself to save our world?" Halldor asked.

"It's his job," Jayla replied sounding as sad as the others looked. Luna was staring at her bracelet, her face seeming sad and distraught. "Luna?"

"He's… not really going to die, right?" she whispered seeming close to tears. No one knew what to say that would speak the truth and pacify the girl. They knew she was attached to Yusei more than any of them. Just just through the connection of god and envoy. But emotionally and her heart seemed to feel like Yusei was her father figure. They knew once he passed, she wouldn't be the same and they didn't know what they would be able to do to help her.

. . .

Yusei came above the source of the destructive power. _'I'm sorry we couldn't spend more time together, Luna. I will miss you,'_ he thought. Slowly, he pulled all the energy from the containment underneath and once it was all out, he morphed it into a giant, glowing ball of light and power.

"Goodbye," he whispered before pulling in all in and the world went white and then black.

. . .

From their position, the other saw the light which blinded them for a good couple minutes. But when it dimmed the sky had cleared and a small light shimmered in the distance. It slowly faded to darkness again.

They noticed a dimmer light come down from the sky and seemingly grab something before springing back up and disappearing. They looked at Luna's bracelet which dimmed in its shine, like when Yusei's Seal was taken. But now, they knew that energy was never coming back.

Her time as one of the only envoy of the gods for Yusei was done.

 **And that is the end of Envoy of the Gods and the end of the Secret of the Gods series. I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I know the ending was a bit- mean? I guess- but I hope you'll be at least appreciating the plot twist to some extent and still like this.**

 **But thanks for reading this story. I appreciate it a lot. Let me know what you thought through PMs and reviews. Nothing too harsh if you didn't like the ending, but I do appreciate** _ **CONSTRUCTIVE**_ **criticism. So let me know!**

 **Have a good day and hopefully see ya in another story!**

 **-bricann**


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